When Earth Meets Fire
by Kamari Turen
Summary: Six years after Azula escapes and names herself Fire Lord, destroying the world in the process, Toph sets out to right Azula's wrong and hopefully find her friends. Along the way, she meets a young firebender who joins her on her quest, which leads to some interesting moments. AU. Rated M for language, violence, and possibly some sex in later chapters.
1. Prologue: All is Lost

It was like something out of a bad dream, something she had never thought she would see. Not that she could actually see what was happening, but she could feel it and hear it and smell it and it filled her with a sense of dread. When she actually thought about it she realized they had all been fools to think this wouldn't happen. The signs had all been there and yet none of them had seen it coming. Aang hadn't seen it, neither had Zuko, or Katara, or Sokka, none of them and now it was too late. She had seen it coming, or least she'd had a feeling, but for once Toph Beifong didn't feel like saying, "I told you so." No, all Toph felt like doing now was fighting and finding a way to end this war before the entire world went up in flames.

The war had started a little over a year ago when Azula had escaped from the Fire Nation facility she had been housed in since losing her Agni Kai, and the throne, to Zuko. Azula had sworn vengeance against her brother and by extension the entire world. She had sworn to end the Harmony Restoration Movement and reclaim all lands in the name of the Fire Nation. It had seemed like folly at first, a fool's errand carried out by a damaged, desperate young woman who had no real chance of achieving victory. But the world had quickly learned just how serious Azula was and through her plan, an even more terrifying truth had come to light, Azula was not the only one who wanted to end all that Aang and Zuko had worked to build. Fire Nation citizens had come out in support of Azula and then, as her rebellion had begun to gain traction, Earth Kingdom citizens had joined her, as had people from both Water Tribes shocking everyone. And as more and more people had fallen under Azula's sway Zuko and Aang and Earth King Kuei had had no choice but to meet her on the field of battle.

And so, here they were, fighting another war when they should have been enjoying the fruits of peace and harmony. Toph couldn't honestly say that she was overly disappointed by this, as she had been getting board with the whole peace thing, but she hadn't wanted to fight another war. There wasn't much she could do about that now, so she kept her complaints to herself and fought alongside her friends for the security of their world. Currently, they were split into three different groups. Aang and Katara were in Ba Sing Se helping Kuei hold the great Earth Kingdom capital. Zuko was in the capital of the Fire Nation, along with Mai and Ty Lee, fighting to keep Azula from getting through the Great Gates of Azulon. And Toph was on the front lines near Omashu with Sokka, Suki, and her three metalbending students, Penga, Ho Tun, and The Dark One. They had been sent here because Toph's immense earthbending skills would prove useful in a city like Omashu and Sokka had felt like accompanying her, so Suki had come as well. As for her students, they were still learning and the only way for her to keep teaching them was for them to join her in battle. She was doing her best to teach them in the midst of battle, but it wasn't easy, which only added to her frustration.

At that moment they were outside the city, battling a wave of firebenders, as well as a handful of earthbenders and a pair of immensely powerful waterbenders. Azula didn't actually have that many followers compared to the number of people who had remained loyal to Zuko and Aang, but her followers were fanatics like she was and they were more than willing to do whatever it took to achieve victory for their queen. Their fanaticism was made even more dangerous by the fact that Azula seemed to have found a number of rather powerful benders and by Toph's own admission that was a bad combination. To battle powerful benders was bad enough, but to battle powerful benders who were fanatically devoted to Azula's ideals was another level of bad all together. And fighting powerful fanatics while also trying to teach metalbending to three individuals who were still amateurs only made the situation worse.

"Damn it, there's just no end to these guys is there?" Toph shouted as she slammed a pillar of earth into an advancing firebender.

"Well, what did you expect?" Sokka asked as he engaged a non-bender in hand to hand combat. "These are followers of Azula, it's not like they're going to be pushovers."

"Yeah, I know." Toph said, rolling her eyes. "Damn shame Azula has to be such a charismatic ash maker. Maybe if she wasn't this war would be over already."

"Yeah, well she is so there's no sense in dwelling on it." said Suki as she stepped in between Toph and an earthbender, thwacking the earthbender on the head with one of her fans in the process. "Better to keep your mind on the hear and now."

"You've got a point there." Toph agreed, slamming two more pillars of earth into a particularly large earthbender who had been aiming a large earth block at Suki. "Still it would be nice if we didn't have to deal with this crap."

"I thought you wanted more action in your life, sifu Toph?" Ho Tun said from somewhere behind her.

"Yeah, but this isn't what I had in mind." Toph said, not turning to face him as she spoke.

"Well, this is the action you got, whether you wanted it or not." said Sokka, now inches from Toph as their enemies closed in around them.

"Lucky me." Toph muttered. "So, you have plan, plan guy?" Her sightless eyes flickered in Sokka's direction as she spoke.

"I'm working on it." Sokka said, his voice strained and breathless.

"Could you maybe work a little faster?" The Dark One asked.

"You can't rush plans." Sokka snapped. "They need time to develop."

"I hate to tell you this Sokka, but we don't have time for your plans to develop." said Toph. "The enemy is all around us and we're gonna be crispy in a minute if you don't think of something."

"Go down." Sokka shouted, nodding at Toph, who smiled, knowing exactly what he had in mind. It was proof of just how dire their situation was that he would ask for this, but Toph was happy to oblige. But just as she moved to create the underground slide Sokka was asking for the ground exploded beneath them, sending them all flying in different directions.

Toph went flying over the edge of the cliff they were fighting on, her stomach jumping into her throat as the air suddenly opened up beneath her. She heard Sokka call out her name and then she felt her body bounce off the stone at the bottom of the ravine. Pain shot through her body, shocking her with its fury and for a moment she nearly passed out. Fighting to stay conscious she pushed herself to her feet just in time to sense the heat of multiple fireballs raining down on top of her. Without thinking she closed the earth above as a shield, though she wasn't able to move quite as fast as usual and one fireball made it to its mark before she could completely seal the shield. She screamed in pain as the fire scorched her hands, arms and face but managed to close the earth shield before any more fire could reach her. Now safe she collapsed from exhaustion, her eyes rolling back in her head as she passed out. _All is lost_, she thought, as she slipped towards unconsciousness, the darkness rushing in to greet her. And then, all was silent for a very long time.

**A/N: Okay, so, this is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fic. As you can probably tell it focuses on Toph and is set in a war torn, AU future. The fic is set after the events of _the Promise_ trilogy, so if you haven't read those, I would suggest doing so before you read this. Since this is AU, you'll find some slight differences between what happens at the end of that trilogy and what happens in this fic. Also, Toph is 16 in the prologue and 22 in the rest of the fic (the prologue is set three years after _the Promise_ in which she is 13, and the rest of the fic is set six years after the prologue, thus the ages I mentioned). Finally, I do not own Avatar, it is the property of Nickelodeon and its creators (Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko). **


	2. Alone in the World

Toph snapped awake, barely stifling a scream, her breathing labored and painful. She'd been having the dream again, the one that she hated because it reminded her she was alone in the world. It had been six years since that day at Omashu and yet Toph could still remember every detail with perfect clarity. She had lost everything that day and had spent the past six years alone, save for the occasional peasant she encountered on her wanderings and the group of families who lived in the isolated village near her cave. She had found the cave by sheer luck and had been using it as her home ever since. The cave was miles from Omashu and Toph was still not completely certain how she had managed to make the journey, given all that she had been told about what had happened after that battle at Omashu. But she had made the journey and she supposed that was all that mattered, though she would have given anything to get back the world she had lost.

There were still many details about what had happened in the aftermath of the battle at Omashu that Toph was unclear on. What she did know was this, Azula had won and was now the Fire Lord, though she seemed more intent on chaos and destruction than actually ruling. Toph also knew that under Azula's rule things had gotten even worse than they had been under Ozai, which was saying something, as Azula's father was known far and wide for his cruelty. The people of all four nations were treated like slaves, except for those who had sworn loyalty to Azula who were allowed to roam the world unchecked, pillaging and killing as they pleased. Anyone who opposed Azula's reign was hunted down and brutally executed and it was even worse for benders, who were tortured for days before they were executed. As such, Toph had kept a low profile for the past six years, though her blood boiled every time she heard of Azula's cruelty and it was a daily struggle for her not to retaliate. Not that there was anyone for her to attack here. Her cave, and the tiny Earth Kingdom village nearby, were so isolated that no one bothered to even pay them any attention, let alone pay them a visit. This, of course, suited Toph just fine, for the less attention she attracted the less chance there was anyone would get hurt.

Unfortunately, Toph's isolation was also a hindrance to her ultimate goal, which was to find out what had happened to her friends. She thought about them daily and wanted to find them more than anything, assuming they still lived. She had no real knowledge of what had happened to them, though she'd heard a number of rumors. The most common story she'd been told was that Zuko had been killed in an Agni Kai with Azula and that Aang had been publicly executed, while the others had been thrown in prison where they still were today. Truthfully, Toph had trouble believing this rumor, though there seemed to be quite a lot of evidence to support it. Supposedly Azula had displayed her brother's head on a spike outside the Fire Nation capital, along with Aang's, and though the people who claimed this was the truth seemed to genuinely believe it, Toph had trouble believing Azula was that cruel. But she had considered the possibility this rumor was true, though the thought that it was always brought tears to her eyes. For if Aang and Zuko really were dead, then all hope truly was gone and the world would never recover.

But there were the other rumors to consider. Some people Toph had talked to claimed that only one was dead, though they were never clear on whether it was Zuko or Aang. Still others claimed that both Aang and Zuko were still alive, but they were imprisoned along with the other leaders who had sided against Azula. Still others claimed that while Zuko and Aang had indeed been killed the others were still alive and free, possibly living somewhere in the ruins of Ba Sing Se. There was even one man whom Toph had met who told her he had spent time in Ba Sing Se with the surviving leaders, though when she'd asked him who had been there he'd told her he didn't remember. So, in reality, Toph didn't know what to believe. She wanted to believe that her friends were still alive, but it seemed unlikely that they would all have survived. Still, she wouldn't give up hope yet, not until she knew for sure what had happened to them.

But there was still the problem of being isolated in this desolate corner of the Earth Kingdom to deal with. Truthfully, Toph didn't want to leave this place, but she knew she had to if she ever wanted to have a chance of finding her friends. But there were risks involved, namely the chance that she'd alert one of the roving bands of Azula's raiders, and until she was certain she could leave without endangering the lives of the people in the village she wasn't going anywhere. It was another of her daily struggles, the fight to remind herself that the lives of these people were just as important as those of her friends, but there were times when Toph was ready to give up and set out on her journey, despite the risks. But every time her impatience threatened to overwhelm her she would hear Aang's voice urging her to stay put and think about the lives she was putting at risk if she left. And every time she heard his voice she felt herself calm and made the right decision. And so, here she remained, waiting until the time was right to make her move.

At that particular moment however, the thing she felt most was hunger. She hadn't eaten in over a day and her stomach was rumbling like the earth did when she earthbent. Realizing she needed to acquire some more provisions she rose to her feet, one hand reaching out for the ceiling of the cave. There was a time when she would have been able to stand in this cave without worrying about hitting her head on the ceiling, but those days were long gone. She was now a fully grown woman and she had gained a considerable amount of hight in the past six years, though she had no doubt that she was still shorter than Katara. It still amazed her at times, the fact that she was now a twenty two year old woman, but for the most part she had gotten used to the fact that she was an adult. Still, some things had caught her off guard as she'd grown, especially the size of her breasts which she hadn't anticipated being quite so large, though as with her hight she had no doubt Katara had beaten her out in the chest department as well. And there were things that hadn't changed as well. Getting older hadn't hindered her ability to earthbend, nor had it given her the ability to see, not that she'd really expected either to change. Her overall appearance hadn't really changed either. She was still barefoot, still dressed in greens, and still wore the headband that had become the staple of her look. The only things that had changed were the length of her hair, which had grown out nearly to waist length, and the addition of a long-sleeved robe and a hat like the one she'd worn on the Day of Black Sun, both of which she used to help conceal her identity. The hat, of course, was a traditional part of the Earth Kingdom military uniform and Toph had gotten hers off the body of a slain soldier during her journey from Omashu.

And then there were the scars, which served as a reminder of why she hated Azula so much. The scars were the remnants of the fireballs that had nearly claimed her life on that horrible day that plagued her dreams and ran the full length of her forearms, as well as the palms of her hands. She couldn't see the scars of course, but she could feel them and they were a constant reminder of the life she had lost. There was a scar across the bridge of her nose as well, which spread onto her right cheek as well, the one spot the her hands hadn't been able to shield. She took a moment then to feel the scars, before hunger stabbed at her stomach again, turning her back to the present. Donning her hat she left the cave and made her way towards the village, which was the only place in a hundred miles where food was readily available.

It was early evening as she made her way down from her cave to the road. She couldn't see the darkening sky, but she could feel the stillness of the air that came with the setting of the sun. She was glad it was dark as the darkness provided her with even more protection should any unsavory individuals be watching from the surrounding hills. Still, she walked with the same brisk pace she always used when traveling these days. As she walked her mind wandered, taking her back to the days when she had helped Aang master earthbending so that he might become a fully realized Avatar. Those had been good days, especially since training Aang had gotten her away from her overbearing parents. She rarely thought about her parents these days, though when she did it was always with regret. She had not seen them since leaving home and she had no idea if they were still alive, though she sincerely hoped they were. The thought of her parents now made her feel like crying, so she turned her mind to other things and by the time she had reached the village she had gone back to thinking about how she was going to get her friends back.

The journey from her cave to the village was a short one, maybe a half hour at most, but Toph always seemed to find the time to think about things as she walked. Often she thought about the village itself and how isolated it was. She had been amazed when she had first arrived here to learn that the village even existed. It was so small that it did not appear on any maps and Toph had never heard its name before. But she had found the people to be warm and welcoming and they had become like a second family to her, helping to ease some of the pain of losing her friends.

As she entered the village that night she was greeted by several people, to whom she responded in kind before making her way to the small inn, which also served as the general store and bar. The establishment was owned by an elderly man named Bao, who was in his sixties or seventies, and his granddaughter Ming, who had taken a great liking to Toph.

"Ah, Lady Toph." Bao said, greeting her with a bow as she entered the inn. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Hello Bao." she said, smiling. "I need food and possibly some water, if you can spare some. I know how difficult it is to get water these days, so don't trouble yourself if there's no need to."

"No, no, it's no trouble at all." Bao said, bowing again before shuffling off to obtain the items she'd asked for.

Toph smiled again and took a seat at the nearest table. She was always amused by Bao's overly formal manner and she had long since given up trying to get him to stop. She didn't really like that he called her "Lady Toph" as it was a reminder of the formal upbringing she had tried so hard to separate herself from, but there was no sense in trying to get an old man like Bao to change his ways. Besides, he was one of the few people she had met in the past six years and it would do no good to go making enemies now.

As Toph contemplated her friendship with Bao, his granddaughter Ming walked over to her, carrying a tray of food and a jug of spiced wine. "Hey Ming." Toph said, her sightless gaze still fixed on the floor.

"Hello Toph." Ming said, setting the tray on the table. "How have you been?" Like her grandfather, Ming could be overly formal at times though she seemed to sense Toph's aversion to the mannerism and tried her best to be casual.

"I'm good." Toph replied. "How are you?" She poured herself a glass of wine as she spoke, deftly maneuvering the jug as well as any person with a sense of sight.

"I've been well, all things considered." Ming answered, taking a seat beside Toph.

"That's good to hear." Toph said, taking a sip of the wine. She had not been much of a drinker before the war with Azula, but she found Bao's spiced wine to be quite good and usually had a glass or two every time she visited the inn. "No sight of any marauders, I take it?"

"Aw, come on Toph, when are you going to accept that this village ain't ever going to be hit by those thugs?" a harsh voice called out from across the bar.

_Great._ Toph thought. _Just what I need, another debate with the Trickster Twins._ The Trickster Twins, Lu and Li, were two of Bao's other regulars who had earned their name because of the pranks they played on people. Of all the people in this village they were the only two whom Toph could not stand. From the moment she'd met them they'd been an annoyance, though they no longer tried to prank her, not after she'd broken Lu's fingers with an earth block and whacked Li in the head with another. Still, they wasted no opportunity to heckle her, especially when it came to her concern that the village could still end up on Azula's radar.

"As I tell you every time we have this conversation Lu, I'll stop worrying about that threat when Azula no longer sits on the Fire Nation throne." Toph answered, not bothering to turn in their direction. "And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can all get back to enjoying our wine."

"You do know they're never gonna come for us, right?" Li asked. "No one besides us knows this village is even out here. But I guess you're too blind to see that."

"Li!" Ming cried, outraged. "How dare you insult Toph in that way. You take your words back or I'll see to it that you never drink here again."

"Oh yeah, and how you gonna do that?" Lu asked, as he and Li approached the table where Toph and Ming were seated. "You need our money to keep this shit-hole afloat and you'd see that if you weren't so busy daydreaming about sleeping with the blind earthbender."

"You shut up." Ming cried, rising to her feet before Toph stopped her.

"No Ming, he's right, you do need his money." she said. "I'll handle this."

Before either Lu or Li could react, Toph was in their faces, driving them both back into the wall. "I warned you both before what would happen if you pissed me off again." she snarled. "It seems to me you've forgotten what happens to people who piss me off. Shall I give you a reminder, or will you both behave yourselves?"

"No, no, we'll be good, we'll be good, I promise." Lu begged, while Li just nodded.

"Good, now how about we get a game of cards going to keep you focused on something you're actually good at." Toph said, with a smile.

Lu and Li nodded and moved to get playing cards, as well as more players, while Toph returned to her seat. Ming smiled at her, and though she could not see it, she returned the gesture, before adding, "If they ever talk to you like that again, you let me know."

"I will." Ming said. "And thank you for standing up to them. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Toph said. "Remember I've fought Fire Nation soldiers and Azula's fanatics. I should be able to handle a pair of idiots like Lu and Li."

At that moment, Lu and Li returned with several others, including Bao, who had Toph's provisions, and a deck of playing cards. And, once the drinks were poured and the cards dealt, Toph and the villagers began a rousing game of cards that lasted well into the night. It was sometime later that night, after her fifth or sixth glass of wine, that Toph realized that maybe she wasn't so alone in the world after all.

**A/N: And that's chapter one. As you can probably tell, I'll be spending much of these early chapters recounting what happend during the war with Azula, how things have since she became Fire Lord, and what Toph has been up to for the past six years. I'll try to work dialogue into each chapter, but there won't be a ton of it until we get to later chapters. Anyway, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed it. Oh, and please leave reviews.**


	3. Scorched Earth

Toph awoke sometime later to find herself still sitting at one of the tables in Bao's inn. She did not remember passing out but figured she must have as there was no other reason why she would have slept here. Her head was throbbing and her stomach was churning as though there were two waterbenders fighting with her stomach acid. The feeling was enough to make her puke, but she somehow managed to keep her stomach contents contained. It had been nearly a year since she'd gotten this drunk and she realized then that she had broken her promise to herself never to do this again. But she supposed it was too late to worry about it now. It had happened and she couldn't change that fact, for as far as she knew it wasn't possible to bend time. If it was, she'd have found a way to do it by now so that Azula's victory would never have happened.

"Good morning Lady Toph." Bao said then, the sound of his voice tearing her from her mind. She turned in his direction and smiled, though the movement made her woozy.

"Morning Bao." she said, fighting to keep herself from vomiting.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Bao asked, offering her a menu despite the fact that she couldn't read it.

"No, thank you." Toph said, her voice somewhere between a gasp and a groan. "I'll take some water though, please."

"As you say, Lady Toph." Bao said, bowing before he shuffled off to fetch her some water.

As she waited for him to return Toph tried to remember what had happened the previous night. Her memory was fuzzy, but she vaguely recalled playing cards with Lu and Li and drinking, though everything else was shrouded in a haze and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the memories to come. She supposed it didn't matter, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd done something she would later regret.

It was then that she sensed Ming approaching and she turned to face the young barmaid. "Hey Ming." she said, her tone casual despite how she felt.

"Hey Toph." Ming replied, her tone uncharacteristically sullen.

"Something wrong?" Toph asked, unsure if she actually wanted to know.

"Uh...not really, no." Ming answered, her voice calm and steady, though Toph noticed the pause at the beginning of Ming's sentence.

"I can tell when you're lying to me Ming." Toph said, her eyes flickering in Ming's direction. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing." Ming said, her tone nervous now. "Nothing happened, aside from us playing cards and drinking."

"You're lying." Toph said, though there was no accusation in her voice. "Something else happened and I want to know what it is."

Before Ming could answer Bao returned with Toph's water. "Here you are Lady Toph." he said, setting the glass before her. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, this is enough for now." Toph answered. "Thank you Bao."

"It is my pleasure Lady Toph." Bao said, bowing again before shuffling away.

Toph waited until Bao was out of earshot before turning her attention back to Ming. "Okay, so, tell me what else happened last night." she said. "Please Ming, I really would like to know."

"Okay, I'll tell you." Ming said, finally breaking beneath the pressure of Toph's questions. "Last night you...well, you kissed Lu and he seemed to like it. As did you."

Toph choked on the sip of water she'd been taking. "I did what?" she gasped, coughing as she tried to breath around the water that had slipped into her lungs.

"You kissed Lu." Ming repeated. "We were playing cards and drinking, and then you just leaned across the table and kissed him. None of us knew what to do. But he seemed to like it and I could tell you did as well."

"Oh God." Toph groaned, her stomach and her mind reeling at what Ming had just told her. "You're joking. Please tell me your joking. I can't have kissed Lu, I don't even like him."

"Well, apparently you did last night." Ming said. "Because you kissed him. You can ask my grandfather if you don't believe me."

"No, no, I don't want to hear anymore about this." Toph said, rising to her feet as she spoke.

"Where are you going?" Ming asked, her tone confused.

"Back to my cave where I don't have to deal with this madness." Toph said. As she spoke she groped around on the table for the provisions Bao had gotten her the previous night as well as her hat, which she had just realized she wasn't wearing. "Where the hell is my hat?"

"Lu has it." Ming answered, her tone slightly irritated.

"Lu is still here?" Toph asked, horrified. "What the hell is he still doing here?"

"Like you, he passed out." Ming answered. "So did Li, they're both still here."

"Where are they specifically?" Toph asked, her tone demanding.

"Over at their usual table." Ming said. "They're both still passed out."

"Good." Toph said, snatching up her provisions before stomping over to where Lu and Li lay like a pair of stupid oafs. "Get up you idiots." Toph snapped, kicking Lu in the ribs.

"Ow, what the hell?" Lu grunted, his eyes snapping open as his gaze fell on Toph. "Oh hey Toph, how's it going?"

"I've been better." Toph said shortly. "Now give me back my hat so I can go."

"What?" Lu asked. "You said I could keep it after we kissed last night. You said it would be my reminder of our love or something like that."

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind, so give it back." Toph said, visibly irritated.

"Sorry love, the hat is mine now." Lu said, grinning.

Toph sighed and stomped on the earthen floor of the bar, a large chunk of the floor rising up to smack Lu in the face. When he still refused to hand over the hat Toph stepped back and flipped over the part of the floor on which Lu and the still unconscious Li sat, sending both of them sprawling. Lu then tossed the hat back to her and she turned and headed for the door muttering, "Sorry about the floor." to Ming as she did.

"Lady Toph, don't you want some breakfast?" Bao called after her.

"I'm not hungry." she shouted back as she strode out of the bar, donning her hat before setting off down the road back to her cave.

* * *

A half hour later Toph arrived back at her cave, though she was still fuming. She had not been this humiliated in a long time and she had a very strong urge to return to the village and beat the shit out of Lu, along with anyone else who got in her way. But she knew that violence would solve nothing and would likely jeopardize her relationship with the villagers. Besides, she wasn't actually angry with anyone else. It was only Lu whom she was angry with and even he didn't draw as much of her anger as she, herself, did. How could she have been so stupid? She didn't even like Lu, could barely stand being around him, so why the hell had she kissed him? Ultimately she could find no answers and she supposed it didn't really matter. She had been drunk, it had meant nothing and it would never happen again, she would make sure of that.

Still, she wondered how her friends would have reacted. Sokka would probably have just laughed. Zuko would have been politely bemused. Aang would have encouraged it, no doubt, saying that love was essential to peace or something like that. And Katara would have definitely encouraged it, saying that love bloomed in the strangest places and that all people should embrace it. _Yeah right, like I could ever love an idiot like Lu_. Toph thought. _But that is what the Sugar Queen would say, not that I'd listen to her_.

The thought of her friends made Toph feel sad again and suddenly she found that she didn't want to be in her cave any more than she wanted to be in the village. Sighing, she grabbed her hat, a water-skin, and some of the dried meat Bao had given her and left the cave, this time making her way up into the hills that surrounded the cave. It had been a while since she'd gone exploring in the hills and she felt like getting away from her memories so a little wandering seemed to be in order. Truth be told there was nothing to find out here, but Toph liked the solitude as it gave her time to think.

The hills surrounding her cave and the village had once been green and beautiful, or so Ming had told her, but now they were nothing more than scorched earth, just like the rest of the world. Toph could not be sure of the validity of this of course, as she could not see the land and she had never seen it before, but she tended to take Ming's word on these things. She had been surprised at first when Ming and Bao had first told her what had happened after the war. Apparently Azula had instituted a scorched earth policy in which her firebenders had crossed the Earth Kingdom burning everything to a blackened crisp. The Earth Kingdom had been the most diverse of the four nations in terms of its landscape, with forests, grasslands, deserts, swamps and nearly every other landscape imaginable. But all of that was gone now, burnt to nothing by Azula's firebenders. Where great forests had once stood only ash remained, covering the earth in a black blanket that allowed nothing else to grow.

Toph had been skeptical at first, but she knew now that it was true. She could feel the ash beneath her feet as she walked. She could smell the stench of the ash on the air and taste it in the water, and she knew it was true. The earth had been scorched and now it was a mere skeleton of what it had been, just like everything else. The scorching of the earth proved there was no limit to Azula's cruelty, not that Toph had ever had a reason to doubt the limits of how cruel Azula could be. Still, the scorching of the earth made Toph hate Azula more than anything else, save for what had likely been done to her friends, as the scorched earth policy had been unnecessary. There had been no reason for Azula to do it and yet she had, simply to prove a point, while endangering the lives of thousands of Earth Kingdom residents in the process. And as Toph thought about the pointlessness of it all she felt her hatred rise with a ferocity unlike any she had ever known. She would make Azula pay for this, no matter how hard it was, no matter what it cost her, she would make Azula pay.

She stopped then on a ridge overlooking the flat expanse of former prairie that stretched out to the east, letting calm wash over her. She couldn't afford to let herself be blinded by her desire for revenge. To do so would be unwise and would likely cost her the ability to take that revenge. If she acted rashly now she could end up getting herself caught by Azula's raiders and if that happened she would lose all chance of ever finding her friends or stopping Azula. And so she allowed calm to return to her, taking a few sips of water as she waited. Once she was calm she set off again, heading east for no particular reason.

Several hours later she stopped again to give her feet a rest. The sun beat down on her unmercifully and she could feel the beads of sweat as the trickled down her back and forehead, soaking her. She took several more sips of water and munched on some dried meat as she decided what to do next. She had two primary options, either keep going and see if she could find anything or head back to the cave and sit in silence while her memories swirled around her. Ultimately she decided to keep going, at least a little farther, though she had no real expectations of finding anything out here.

A short time later she stopped again, now throughly exhausted from all the walking. She wished she still had Appa to ride on, but it had been even longer since she'd last seen the skybison than it had been since she'd seen his master. She couldn't remember exactly when she'd last seen Appa, but it had been sometime before she'd been sent to Omashu with Sokka, Suki, and her metalbending students. Shaking her head to keep the memories from lodging themselves in her mind she sat beside the skeletal remains of a tree, one of the few that hadn't been completely burned to ash, and drank some more water. She could tell the tree was a tree using her seismic sense which allowed her to see in a manner similar to how other people saw. Seismic sense was an earthbending technique and many earthbenders could use it, but Toph was more adept at it than any other earthbender in the world. The tree had once been massive, though it was now a mere shell of its former self. Still, here in the little shade it provided, would be the perfect place for a nap.

With that in mind, Toph lay down, stretching out beneath the skeleton tree with cat-like grace. She tipped her hat down over her face, set her water-skin on the ground beside her, an folded her arms behind her head before closing her eyes. The final thought that passed through her mind before she drifted off to sleep was of Ming and Bao and then she was lost in her dreams, unaware that her conversation with them that morning would be the last time she'd ever see them alive.

**A/N: And there's chapter two. I don't really have a whole lot to say about this chapter, except for this: there is a reason Ming seemed to be upset by the fact the Toph kissed Lu, but you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out what that reason is (though if you're thinking you can probably figure it out on your own). Also, there is a startling lack of reviews for this fic, so I'll ask again, please leave reviews. It is integral to the continuation of good writing and I truly love reading what other people think of my work, so please give me some feedback so I know what I'm doing right and what I may need to fix. Thanks.**


	4. Ashes and Bones

Sometime later Toph awoke to the sound of her stomach rumbling. She reached into her pocket for some dried meat, only to find that it was gone. For a moment she thought she had been robbed while she slept but then she realized how illogical that thought was. If she had been robbed she likely wouldn't have woken up, as robbers weren't usually in the business of keeping targets alive. Besides, even asleep she would had felt someone approaching her so there was no way she could have been robbed. With that realization in mind there was only possible answer to the question of what had happened to her food, she must have eaten it all herself. This was disappointing as Toph was quite hungry and would now have to trek all the way back to her cave on an empty stomach, a trek she was most certainly not looking forward to.

Sighing, Toph pushed herself to her feet and took a swig of water before setting off for home. She had only made it a few steps however before she stopped again. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. There was a leaden weight to the air, the kind of dead calm that came just before a terrible storm. But there was something more to what she was feeling than that. There was a feeling of death on the air, a feeling of death like the one that had hung over Omashu in the days before she had lost everything. But none of it made any sense. Why would she be feeling these feelings now? The war was over and there had been no killing in this area in six years, so did she feel this way? There had to be a reason and Toph was determined to find out what it was.

With that in mind, Toph began slowly walking in the direction of home, all of her senses on high alert for any sign of what was wrong. After about ten minutes of walking she paused again, sniffing the air around her, testing the scents to be certain. She smelled smoke and ash, both scents faint and almost indiscernible, but she could smell them. And it was then that she realized what was wrong. There was only one reason why she would be smelling smoke this far from the village and that reason filled her heart with dread.

"Oh shit." she muttered, before breaking into a dead sprint in the direction of the village, her mind consumed by only one thought, _please don't let me be too late_.

But the closer Toph got to the village the more she realized she was indeed too late. With each step she took the smoke got thicker and the heat from the fire got warmer. And as she came over the top of the hill where her cave was she could hear the screams, horrible screams of people dying, the kind of screams that filled her nightmares. But the screams only drove her forward. She had no way of knowing if there was anyone she could save, but even if there was a chance she had to try. She had lost too much already and she would not lose again.

Minutes later she arrived at the gates of the village, the smoke now so thick that she could barely breath. She knew there were many people she should help, but there were only two she could think of. No matter what happened she had to get to Bao and Ming, even if it meant losing the rest of the village. As she made her way in the direction of Bao's inn she tripped over something which sent her sprawling in the dirt.

Reaching out with both hands Toph found what she had tripped over a minute later, discovering to her horror that it was a body, soaked in blood. She moved her hands to the person's face, feeling for any distinguishing markers, but she found none. She could tell by the feel of the soft tissue of breasts that the corpse was female. This led her to search for other distinguishing features, like jewelry, finally finding a necklace with a pendent in the shape of a butterfly. It was then that Toph realized who this victim was. She was Aya, a twenty six year old mother of two four year old twin girls. Toph felt her heart constrict at this realization. Aya had been a kind, loving mother and she had not deserved to die this way. Toph had felt the bloody gashes on her body and knew that Aya had been cut down while trying to flee the village. And it was then that she realized Aya's daughters, Shaya and Kinly, were alone in the midst of this chaos.

"Shaya? Kinly?" she called, her voice desperate. "Can you hear me? It's Toph. If you can hear me, follow the sound of my voice."

There was no response and Toph began crawling away from Aya's body, searching for Shaya and Kinly on her hands and knees. Moments later she found them sprawled in the dirt, both of their throats slashed. She could feel the blood that had pooled beneath their bodies and the butterfly necklaces they wore, just like their mother. She felt tears well in her eyes and rage rise in her chest. Shaya and Kinly had only been four years old and now they were dead and Toph knew exactly who had killed them. This had been the work of Azula's raiders, the fires burning all around her were proof of that. But where were they? There was nothing to indicate that they were still in the village, but they had to be nearby. And as she realized this she was overcome by her need to find Bao and Ming. With that she launched herself to her feet and ran to the inn, hoping they were still alive.

Her hope died the moment she arrived at the inn. Even without a sense of sight she could tell the inn was engulfed in flames. The heat was unbearable and the stench of burning flesh made her gag, to the point where she would have puked had she had anything in her stomach. It was then that she heard a familiar voice calling out over the roar of the flames, desperate and terrified.

"Li?" the voice called. "Li, where the hell are you brother? Are you still in the inn?"

"Lu?" Toph called, her hope suddenly returning. "Is that you?"

"Toph?" Lu shouted. "Yes, it's me. Where have you been, earthbender?"

"I was in my cave." Toph lied as she made her way over to him. "What happened here?"

Lu didn't answer, instead choosing to move towards the burning wreck of Bao's inn. Toph felt him move and dove for him, tackling him to the ground just before he entered the inferno.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked. "You can't go in there, you'll be cooked alive."

"Get the hell off of me." Lu snarled, struggling against her grasp. "Li is still in there. So are Bao and Ming. We have to save them."

"Lu, they're gone." Toph said, her heart sinking as she spoke. "The inn is an inferno, there's no way they're still alive if they're in there."

Lu struggled a minute more before relaxing in her arms. Toph drug him away from the inn, casting a sightless glance back over her shoulder as she did, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. She could feel the blood that stained Lu's shirt and seeped from his wounds. His breathing was ragged and labored and she could tell he didn't have long to live, but there were answers she needed to get from him first so she could decide what to do next.

"Lu, tell me, what happened here?" she asked as she lay him on the ground a few hundred feet from the inn.

"Azula's raiders." Lu said, his voice now just a whisper. "Toph, you...you were right. They came for us. You always said they would and I...I always laughed at you. I always...thought you were full of shit. I'm sorry, I should have listened."

"Don't apologize Lu." Toph said. "I wasn't sure myself that they'd come here. But they did and I'm sorry for that."

"Why?" Lu asked, coughing up blood as he spoke. "You didn't bring them here. Why are you apologizing?"

"They came here for me." Toph answered. "They came for me, because I fought alongside the Avatar against Azula."

"You're wrong." Lu said. "The leader...he spoke to us before...before they attacked. He made no mention of searching for a blind earthbender."

"They weren't here for me?" Toph asked, stunned. "Then why did they come?"

"Because we're a wayward Earth Kingdom village." Lu answered. "It's like you always said. They...they came for us because Azula got tired of waiting for us to die on our own. They knew we were out here. They'd always known."

"Lu, I'm sorry. I should have been here." Toph said. "I should have protected you all."

"You'd be...dying now to...if you had been here." Lu coughed. "Don't be sorry Toph. There was nothing you could have done."

Toph felt her heart constrict at that, but she could not bring herself to tell Lu he was wrong. Instead, she asked him another question. "Where are the raiders now?"

"I don't...don't know." Lu answered. "But they may still be nearby, so if you're right and they are after you, then you need to go."

"I can't just leave you here to die." Toph said, though she knew she had no choice.

"Don't worry about...me." Lu said. "I'm gone Toph. There's nothing you can do for me now. You have to leave. You have to stop Azula. You have to..." His sentence trailed off and for a moment Toph thought he was dead until she felt his faint heartbeat.

She did not know what to say in response to his request. It was something she had dreamed about for six years, but she wasn't sure she could actually do it. Azula was in the Fire Nation, surrounded by her fanatics, and Toph had no way of getting there. And even if she did, she was one earthbender, while Azula had an army. The odds were long by any estimation, but Lu's dying plea stirred something deep inside Toph's soul, something that she couldn't explain. It was a fury and a determination the likes of which she had never known before and somehow she knew she would find a way to bring Azula down.

"Okay Lu, I'll do it." she said. "I'll stop Azula and avenge you and Li and Ming and Bao and everyone else who died by her hand."

"Thank you Toph." Lu said. "But there is one more thing you should know before you go. She loved you Toph. Ever since you first...arrived here she loved you."

"Who?" Toph asked. "Lu, who are you talking about?"

"Ming." Lu gasped. "She...she loved you. That's why...that's why I...hated you so much. I am sorry for that. I should have just...should have...accepted..." Again his sentence trailed off as his head slumped back, his eyes going dark as his life left him. Toph could feel his final breath as Lu expelled it and again she felt tears in her eyes.

"Thank you Lu." she said, placing her hands on his forehead. "Thank you for telling me the truth. May you find peace in the afterlife."

With that she rose to her feet and walked away from his body, leaving him as food for the crows. She walked away from the burning inn, from the life she had come to know here, from this village that was now not but ashes and bones. She walked away and did not look back, for a new journey now lay before her and she would embrace it, even if it killed her.

**A/N: And so Toph's journey begins. If you were hoping to get to know the villagers better, I'm sorry, but killing them was necessary to move the story forward. Much of what Toph does from this point on will be shaped by what happened in this chapter, so be prepared for a more vengeful Toph, as she plans to do whatever it takes to defeat Azula. We are now on the precipice of the action, so prepare yourselves, things are about to get really fun. **


	5. An Earthbender's Journey

Toph returned to her cave a short time later, her mind still consumed by the horror she had witnessed in the village. It had been like something out of her nightmares and she knew the destruction of the village was her fault. She should have been there to protect the people. She should have been there to fight Azula's raiders. But she hadn't been there. Instead she had been off wandering alone, trying to escape the embarrassment of kissing Lu. Once again she had let down the people who depended on her, just like she had done six years earlier when Omashu had fallen to Azula. And as this realization hit her she broke down, tears flowing from her eyes like miniature waterfalls.

"My fault." she muttered to herself. "It's all my fault. I should have done something. I should have been there. I could have saved them. God, what would Aang think if he could see me now? What would any of them think?"

It was a question she had never asked herself before. What would her friends think if they could see her now? Would they comfort her? Would they lend her a shoulder to cry on and tell her it wasn't her fault? Or would they blame her? She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't stop the thoughts from entering her mind. And as the thoughts came she realized her friends wouldn't have blamed her. Aang and Katara would have been disappointed with her for walking away, of that she was certain, but they wouldn't have blamed her outright. Sokka and Suki would likely have been sympathetic. And Zuko would have told her that these things happen, that sometimes sacrifices must be made in the midst of war in order for one side to triumph.

That seemed like a good theory, except there was no war, not anymore. Azula had already won, so was it really necessary to burn an isolated village like this one? Were the people of the village a sacrifice for the greater good? No, that couldn't be right. There was no war and there had been no reason for Azula's raiders to torch the village. They had done it out of greed and a twisted desire to prove their dominance. And yet she could have stopped them and she hadn't, so what did that make her? Surly it made her something horrible, but Toph couldn't be sure. And as she thought about it she realized that if her friends would have forgiven her then she had to forgive herself. With that thought in mind she curled up on the floor of the cave and prayed for sleep, all the while trying to find a way to forgive herself.

* * *

Sometime later Toph awoke suddenly, all of her senses triggered by something lurking just outside her cave. _Raiders,_ she thought, panic gripping her. She pulled herself into a crouch, her hands and feet flat on the ground to enhance her seismic sense. For a moment she waited in silence, anticipating an attack, and then she sprang into action launching a pair of earth blocks out the mouth of the cave. She heard a grunt of pain and a curse and then at least three gouts of flame shot into the cave. Toph deftly avoided the fire by rolling to the back of the cave before launching her next attack. Again she sent earth blocks flying out towards her attackers and again she heard them curse. But instead of returning fire this time one of them spoke, his voice gruff and demanding.

"Come on out little earthbender." the raider called. "We promise we won't hurt you."

_Yeah right,_ Toph thought. "Why don't you come and get me." she called.

"Do you think we're stupid?" the firebender asked. "If we walk in there you'll bury us and escape. I'm not about to fall for that trap, so why don't you come on out? I promise we won't hurt you."

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" Toph asked. "If I come out there, you'll attack me with your firebending and drag me back to the Fire Nation. And as much as I'd like to see your queen, I think I'll pass on that, thank you very much."

"You say that like you have a choice." another of the raiders called, his voice high pitched and nasally, as though he spoke through his nose.

"That's because I do have a choice." Toph replied. "And I choose to stay right here. If you want me, the only way you're gonna get me is by entering this cave."

"Damn it!" the first raider shouted. "She's right. We have to go into that cave."

"But she'll bury us." the second raider whined, obviously not thrilled by the idea of entering a cave in which an earthbender lived.

"She might, if she gets the chance." the leader said, his tone irritated. "But we don't have any other choice, because she's obviously not going to come out here. And we have to take her. You know Azula's policy about rogue benders."

"But Hong, I don't want to be buried alive." the whiny raider complained.

"Shut it Jiro." Hong snapped. "We're going in and that's final. Or would you like to explain to Azula why we let a rogue earthbender escape?"

"No." Jiro answered, his tone colored with fear.

"Good, now follow me." Hong growled, moving forward, the other raiders falling into step behind him.

Toph smiled as they approached. Her plan was working perfectly and now all she had to do was execute the next part of the plan. The raiders didn't know how deep the cave was, which worked to Toph's advantage, as she could hide behind the rocks at the back of the cave and still attack at the same time. She had already gathered her stuff and was prepared to flee as soon as the raiders were trapped, but she was more than aware that she would likely have to fight before escape was possible. To that end she focused her attention on the entrance of the cave, ready for any attack that might come her way. Seconds later she heard the raiders enter the cave, followed by the roar of flame consuming the air as a fireball shot in her direction.

Immediately she shielded herself behind a wall of stone and then returned fire. She sent a barrage of smaller earth blocks flying in the direction of the raiders and then, while they were distracted by the earth blocks, she slammed her hands into the ground sending a wave of earth at her attackers. She heard Hong curse, but there was little he could do to avoid the attack. In the cramped confines of the cave the raiders were completely at her mercy and she had no intention of letting them take her. To that end she climbed up the back wall of the cave, using the boulders as footholds to help her get more hight. She then thrust herself down to the cave floor, creating a massive earth wave which shook the cave to its foundation. The force of the earth wave collapsed the entrance of the cave and brought the ceiling crashing down around Toph's head, as well as the heads of the raiders. Toph threw up a domed earth shield to protect herself before burrowing down through the floor of the cave.

Moments later Toph emerged from the hillside behind her cave, gasping for air and spitting dirt from her mouth. For a moment she paused to catch her breath, the effort of defending herself having taken a lot out of her. She hadn't earthbent like that in nearly six years and she was slightly out of practice. Still, she had defeated her attackers and that was better than the alternative. And as this realization hit her she started laughing, all of her depression and self-hatred washed away, replaced by the euphoria of earthbending.

"I am still the greatest earthbender in the world." she said, reveling in this fact until she remembered that there could still be other raiders lurking nearby.

This realization brought an abrupt end to her celebration and she immediately went back on the defensive, pulling her hat, which was dangling around her neck, up onto her head. She then set off in the same direction she had walked that morning, leaving the ruins of her cave behind. She was slightly unhappy about losing her cave, but it had been worth it to defeat the raiders. Besides, she hadn't been planning on staying here much longer anyway. With the village now destroyed she no longer had anyone left to protect and was now free to try and find her friends. That was the one and only good thing that had come from this mess. Still, it was hard to claim that it was worth it. The loss of innocent life was not worth the price of Toph's freedom to search for people she wasn't even sure were still alive, and she knew Aang would be disappointed with her for thinking that. But there was nothing that could be done about that now. All that was left for Toph to do was to move forward. And that's exactly what she would do, despite the pain.

And so she walked, shrouded in her guilt and her pain, moving ever forward towards an uncertain future. What she would find on her journey she had no way of knowing, but she was determined not to go back. The only way was forward and Toph would go wherever this journey took her, even if her destination was somewhere less friendly than the place she had just left.

**A/N: Okay, so, I know the chapter is a little short. Sorry about that, but it didn't take as many words as thought it would to get across what I wanted to get across in this chapter. Also, I know the title of the chapter is a little misleading as Toph doesn't begin her journey until the end, but there is a double meaning to the title. It refers to her physical journey to find her friends yes, but it also refers to her emotional journey as she deals with the fact that she has once again lost everything. So that's that. The next step towards possible redemption has begun and things are only going to get more interesting from here.**


	6. Seeking Friends

Toph sat on a rocky outcropping overlooking the scorched, barren landscape munching on dried meat while she contemplated her next move. It had been over a day since she had left her cave and so far she had done nothing but wander aimlessly. But she knew this wandering would do her no good. She needed a plan and she needed it soon, before the raiders she had battled figured out where she had gone, assuming they still lived. She wished Sokka was there. He was great with plans and would have figured out their next move before they had even left the cave. But Sokka wasn't there and Toph was left to come up with a plan on her own.

"How did you do this so well Sokka?" she muttered to herself. "Why can't I be more like you?" She paused then, considering the deeper meanings of that question, ultimately deciding it was the wrong choice of words. "I take that back." she muttered. "What I meant was, why can't I be better at coming up with plans the way Sokka is?"

No answer greeted her and she sighed with disappointment. Why was it that the universe refused to answer her questions when she wanted it to? Toph had never been the most spiritual person in the world, but she had found herself asking questions of the spirits with more frequency in the six years since the war. She hadn't gotten many answers though, which only added fuel to her cynical fire, a fact she was certain was not helping her cause. Still, she wasn't willing to stop trying to commune with the spirit world, for Aang had always insisted that it was necessary for benders to have a connection to the spirits and Toph was certain the spirits had answers for her, she simply wasn't having any luck getting them to listen.

The thought of Aang did provide her with a spark of inspiration however. If her friends were still alive and were not imprisoned, they would need a large place to hide out in. There were only a few locations in the world Toph could think of that would be suitable for such a gathering, though none of them would be easy to get to. She knew there were rumors of survivors hiding in the ruins of Ba Sing Se, but the great Earth Kingdom capital was many days to the east and would likely be the most difficult location for her to reach. This realization smothered the small hope that had flared in her soul and she slid down from her outcropping with another sigh.

As she gathered up her few possessions she paused, another thought occurring to her. Just because Ba Sing Se was the most logical location for refugees to hide didn't mean it was the only one. The others were likely to be equally difficult to get to, but perhaps it was worth it to investigate them. After all, the worst thing that could happen was she didn't find anyone and moved on to the next location. Well, that wasn't technically the worst thing that could happen, but Toph preferred not to think about the other options.

With this thought in mind she began laying out the other possible locations in her mind. There was Omashu, of course, as well as her home town of Gaoling. There were also the four Air Temples to consider, as well as the villages of both Water Tribes. And then there was the vast expanse of the Si Wong Desert, which would be an excellent hiding place assuming one knew how and where to find water and food.

"I doubt there's anyone there, though." Toph muttered, remembering her own past adventures in the desert with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. "So, let's rule Si Wong out for now and concentrate on the other locations."

As she thought, Toph sat in the shade of the rocky outcropping she had been sitting on, pulling out some more dried meat to munch on. "Okay." she said. "If Si Wong is out, where else can I look?" She smiled at that, chuckling at the humor of her question. Truthfully she couldn't "look" anywhere on account of her blindness, but she could still search, could still seek her friends even if she couldn't see them. The question was still funny however, and Toph could not help thinking about how her friends would have reacted to the question. _With humor and sarcasm, most likely_, she thought, smiling at the thought.

With that thought lodged in her mind she turned her attention back to the task at hand. The Air Temples seemed like the most logical choice, after Ba Sing Se, but they would be extremely difficult to get to without Aang and Appa. And so, Toph chose to rule them out as well, despite the fact that they would make excellent hiding places, something she knew from experience, having hidden at the Western Air Temple with the others following the Day of Black Sun.

The Water Tribes would likely be difficult to reach as well, given that they lay at the poles and Toph had no means of transportation save for her own two legs. This was disappointing, as Toph had never visited either of the Water Tribes before and was certain there would still be people at both poles who would help her. The people of the Water Tribes had been the last to begin to support Azula's conquest and very few members of either tribe had willingly chosen to follow her. Toph knew this meant there would likely still be people at the poles, especially the North, but without a means to get to the tribes, she was left to seek another option.

With the Water Tribes ruled out, Toph turned her attention to locations within the Earth Kingdom. It was possible that there were survivors in her hometown of Gaoling, but she doubted any of her friends would be there. Her parents might still be there, but Toph could not be certain and she was not willing to risk her chances on a hunch. Gaoling was a decent sized city, but the more Toph thought about it, the more she realized it likely wasn't large enough to be used as a stronghold for anyone resisting Azula's reign. And that was what her friends would be doing, if they were still alive and free. They would be resisting Azula in any way they could, of that Toph was absolutely certain.

This left only one other place for her to look and the prospect made her insides squirm. The great city of Omashu had been the last place she had been with her friends and it was possible some of them were still there. She had not attempted to search the ruins after regaining consciousness six years earlier and had no idea if Sokka, Suki, Penga, Ho Tun, and the Dark One had escaped from the city before it was destroyed. And even if they had, there was a chance some of them would have returned to Omashu in the aftermath of the war, as the city would make an excellent fortress. This, however, did not make the prospect of returning to Omashu any less painful to consider. The city represented Toph's greatest failure and was the site where she had lost everything, thus making her desire to return there somewhat less than willing.

But it occurred to her that this may be the only way for her to find her friends and so she decided she would at least consider the possibility of returning to Omashu. With that thought in mind she stretched out beside the outcropping and closed her eyes, letting the dark embrace of sleep take her into the world of dreams.

* * *

The next morning Toph awoke to a blood-red sunrise, though she could not see the brilliant shade of red the sun had painted the sky. Still, she somehow knew that the sunrise was the color of blood, despite the fact that she had never seen the color of blood in her life. Her head ached as she pulled herself to her feet and she winced in pain, sliding back down to a sitting position. She had not slept well the night before, her dreams plagued by images of her friend's lifeless bodies scattered around the ruins of Omashu. She knew it had only been a dream and yet she could not shake the feeling that this was some kind of omen warning her of what awaited should she return to Omashu.

Shaking her head, Toph grabbed her water-skin and took a swig of water, hoping the cool liquid would calm the chaos in her mind. The water did not calm her mind, but it did quench her thirst and helped ease the ache in her head. And with the easing of the ache came a clarity Toph had not experienced in a long time. She knew now what she must do. She had to return to Omashu, for only then could she have any hope of finding her friends. She didn't know what it was that awakened her to this realization, but she knew with absolute certainty that this was the only way. She had to return to Omashu or she would never know for sure what had become of her friends in the aftermath of the war. And if she never learned what had happened to them she would never gain the strength to challenge Azula and reclaim the world in the name of freedom.

"Shit." she muttered. "Omashu, the one place I never wanted to see again. And yet, it seems I have no choice but to return there. Well, if that's the case, I guess I'll do it seeing as how I can't just sit here for the rest of my life."

With that she rose to her feet and gathered up her possessions before starting on her way. It was at least a three day walk to Omashu and she was not looking forward to the journey, but she would make it nonetheless. She would put aside her dislike of this situation and forge ahead, for sometimes that is all one can do when one is seeking friends.

**A/N: And there you go. The next chapter of Toph's journey is up. Sorry this took so long, by the way. It took me longer than I thought it would to finish A Destiny of Death, but now that that's done I'll be getting back to focusing on this and A Foundation Called Family. Anyway, I know this chapter is kind of short, but it was meant to be that way, as it is just Toph trying to figure out how to find her friends, hence the title. So, what other adventures await Toph as she seeks her friends? Keep reading to find out.**


	7. When Earth Meets Fire

Sometime early the next morning Toph stopped for a rest. She had been walking nonstop since deciding to return to Omashu and she was exhausted. Her muscles ached and she felt like she had been in an extremely physical fight. Worse than the physical exhaustion was the mental exhaustion. Toph had spent the entire day thinking as she walked and she had never felt more mentally fatigued then she did now. This was a problem as mental exhaustion meant she would not be as alert and she needed to be as alert as possible in case the raiders she had fought were still alive. She did not think there was much of a chance that they had survived being buried alive, but there was no guarantee and Toph did not relish the possibility of running into them again.

Unfortunately, Toph didn't seem to have much to say in the matter. Her body was exhausted and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep herself from slipping into the blissful escape of sleep. In the end Toph decided it was better to rest now and risk being attacked then continue on and be even more exhausted later. With that thought in mind she lay down and allowed sleep to take her, ever aware of how vulnerable she was leaving herself by doing so.

Several hours later Toph was awakened by the sound of movement somewhere nearby. Instantly on alert she rose into a crouch, preparing to defend herself if necessary. "Whose there?" she called, her voice devoid of fear. "Show yourself."

No response greeted her and she activated her seismic sense, hoping to get a better look at what she was dealing with. But whatever was out there in the dark it still managed to elude her senses. This knowledge sent a cascade of thoughts through her mind. The intruder could simply be an animal that was light enough on its feet to avoid detection. On the other hand it could be a peasant in need of aid, a potential ally, or worst of all a raider who had somehow found a way to avoid detection with seismic sense.

It was the final option that sent a chill down Toph's spine. She knew of no way to avoid detection by seismic sense but she supposed one could have been discovered. It did not seem likely however, considering the only person Toph knew who was light enough on their feet to avoid detection was Aang and that was only because he was an airbender. Still, she supposed it was possible that someone else had found a way to move that lightly, though she could not think of how one would achieve such a thing without being an airbender.

Ultimately Toph decided that whatever it was that she'd heard it wasn't an immediate threat and she lat back down to get some more sleep. Sleep did not come easy this time however and Toph found herself waking up every few minutes to listen for any sign of what was out there in the dark. She would spend several hours in a state of half sleep before finally deciding to move on, the prospect of more sleep now completely gone.

* * *

Sometime later, as Toph entered the western end of a long, narrow gorge, she heard the sound of movement again. Pausing she cocked her head to the side, hoping to hear more clearly, but the sound did not come again. Shrugging, she continued on her way, finally making camp again somewhere in the middle of the gorge. She had traveled through this gorge before, six years earlier when she'd made her journey to the village, and she had not forgotten it. The gorge was narrow like this for most of its path, but it did widen out a bit as you got to the eastern end, which emptied out barely a hundred miles from Omashu. In her current location Toph was well protected by the steep walls on either side of her which would make it virtually impossible for anyone to sneak up on her. Still, she would likely not sleep tonight, just to be safe. The prospect of no sleep was not one Toph looked forward to, but the events of the previous night had rattled her and she was not willing to risk an attack by raiders.

An hour or so later, as Toph sat munching on dried meat, she heard what sounded like small rocks tumbling down the side of a cliff. The sound was curious and for a moment Toph wondered if she had imagined it. But then she heard it again, the sound of rocks tumbling down a cliff, and she knew it was real. Someone was trying to sneak up on her by climbing down the steep walls of the gorge. Toph froze, letting her functioning senses guide her to the source of the sound, ultimately determining that it was coming from somewhere behind her.

Deciding not to risk walking into a trap, Toph fired off a earth block hoping to take out her secretive adversary quickly. Seconds later she heard a painful yelp, followed by a thud and then the roar of flames as they shot towards her. _Firebenders_, she thought. "Well damn." she muttered. "Looks like I'm in for another fight."

She stood then, preparing herself for battle, when another blast of fire came at her. Without thinking Toph brought up an earth shield to block the attack, all of her senses now focused on her attacker. "You'll have to do better than that." she shouted, hoping to antagonize her attacker into doing something stupid.

"How's this?" the firebender shouted, before two massive jets of flame shot out of the darkness. Toph easily blocked them as well, feeling the heat as the fire deflected off her earth shield. She also heard the sound of her attacker's voice, which surprised her with its pitch. Based on the pitch of the voice her attacker was female, no older than twenty, and this fact confused Toph. She had been expecting a deep, gruff voice, like that of Hong, the firebender who had led the raiders who had attacked her at her cave. But it was obvious from her attacker's voice that this wasn't Hong, which begged the question, who was this girl and why was she following Toph?

Deciding that she could risk it, Toph asked her attacker just this, hoping to distract the girl from more fighting. "Who are you girl?" Toph asked, her tone flat.

"I am no girl." the firebender answered, her tone irritated.

"Yes you are." Toph said. "I can tell from the sound of your voice that you're a girl, so why don't you tell me what you want and we can both be on our way."

"I don't buy that shit." the girl snapped. "How do I know you're not just going to kill me?"

"Because I don't kill innocent people." Toph answered. "Unless they're raiders. You're not a raider, are you?"

"No, of course I'm not." the girl spat. "I hate those murderous pigs."

Toph didn't immediately respond to that. The girl's story seemed difficult to believe and yet there was something about the way she had answered that made Toph want to believe her. Ultimately Toph decided diplomacy was the best option and spoke again, "Okay, I believe you." she said. "You are not a raider. Do you have a name?"

For a moment only silence greeted her question and then the girl spoke again. "Ren." she said. "My name is Ren."

"Well Ren, my name is Toph Beifong and I'd really appreciate it if you'd step out of the shadows so I don't have shout anymore." Toph said, her tone calm.

Again silence greeted her and then came the sound of footsteps approaching from the west. Toph activated her seismic sense to get a better look at this girl, sensing that she was tall and slender, with short hair and multiple piercings. She could not see Ren's face, as seismic sense was not that advanced, but she could tell Ren was young, perhaps seventeen or so and had been on the road for awhile now, though Toph could not be certain of exactly how long.

"Hello Ren." Toph said, once the other girl had reached her camp. "It's nice to meet you. Would you like something to eat?"

Ren nodded, staring at Toph in amazement. "You...you're blind." she said, after a moment of silence.

"Yes, I am." Toph replied, before handing Ren some dried meat.

"How are you able to fight when you can't see?" Ren asked, her tone curious.

"The ability to see does not affect ones ability to fight." Toph replied. "My other senses still function and because I am an earthbender I am able to use seismic sense to make up for my lack of sight. I guess you can say I have found a way to improvise."

"And you're out here all alone?" Ren asked. "Don't you have any friends?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Toph said. "What are you doing out here alone? You seem a little young to wandering the world by yourself."

"I'm seventeen." Ren said, her tone suddenly defensive. "And I have my reasons for being out here alone, none of which concern you."

"Fair enough." Toph said. "Though, you should know that I can tell when you're lying."

"I am not lying." Ren said, glaring at Toph.

"Yes you are." Toph said. "I can feel your pulse quickening as you try to come up with a good cover story. That's one of the advantages of being blind."

"Oh really?" Ren said. "Well, then you won't mind if I put that advantage to the test."

"Bring it on, little girl." Toph said, dropping into a combat stance as she spoke.

"Little girl?" Ren screamed, outraged. "You don't know me, what I've been through, so don't you go calling me a little girl." With that she stepped back and launched a blast of flame at Toph, who effortlessly deflected it with an earth shield.

Before Toph even had a chance to gloat Ren was attacking her again and she was forced to go on the defensive, blocking each of Ren's attacks with pillars and blocks of earth. For several minutes Ren kept up her attack, driving Toph ever backwards. Toph had to admit that Ren was impressive. The only other firebenders she had met who were this relentless were Zuko and Azula, and for a moment Toph wondered if Ren had known them. She quickly tossed the thought aside however, returning her focus to the task at hand, dropping into a crouch just as Ren launched her next attack.

Toph then summoned all the strength she could muster and slammed her hands into the ground, sending a roiling wave of earth in Ren's direction. Ren screamed, taken by surprise, and Toph closed the earth wave around Ren's body, trapping her in an earthen prison from which she had no chance of escaping.

"Hey, let me go!" Ren shouted, her tone furious.

"Not a chance, little girl." Toph said, grinning. "Now, while I've got you here, I want you to answer a couple of questions for me. Think you can do that?"

Ren glared, but finally nodded, her shoulders slumping in submission. Toph smiled and nodded, satisfied that Ren was no longer a threat.

"Okay, first question." she said. "Is Ren your real name?"

"Yes, it is." Ren answered and Toph nodded, satisfied that she was telling the truth.

"Second question." Toph said. "Why were you following me? Are you a raider?"

"I wasn't following you." Ren said. "And I already told you, I'm not a raider. I do not now, nor have I ever, worked for that bitch Azula."

"You're lying again." Toph said, her tone disappointed.

"No, I'm not." Ren said, a note of pleading in her voice now. "I'm not a raider, I swear."

"No, you're not a raider." Toph agreed. "But that's not what you're lying about, is it?"

Ren blinked, taken aback by Toph's question. "I'm not lying." she said again.

"Yes, you are." Toph said. "I asked you why you were following me and you said weren't, but that is a lie. You've been following me for at least two days now and I want to know why."

Ren paled, true fear gripping her as she realized she had no way out of this. "Alright." she said. "I was following you, but it's not for the reasons you think, I swear."

"Then why were you following me?" Toph asked, her tone flat and serious.

"I...I wanted to help you." Ren answered, after a moment of silence. "I saw how you tried to defend that village and I wanted to help you take out those raiders."

Toph was silent for a moment as she tried to process what Ren had just told her. "How do you know about that village?" she finally asked. "And how do I know it wasn't you who tipped the raiders off to its location in the first place?"

"I found the village by accident." Ren answered. "And I had nothing to do with the attack against it. I was living on the opposite side of the village from where you were and I was just about to reveal myself to the residents when the raiders came. And then I saw you come running into the village and I knew that you were trying to help. So when you left I followed you to your cave and witnessed the raiders attacking you and that's when I decided I wanted to help. It's all true, I swear to you it is."

Toph stood stock still following Ren's speech, her mind racing. On the one hand she wanted to believe Ren's story as it would be nice to have someone to travel with. But past experiences told her trusting this girl was a bad move. Somehow everything Ren was saying didn't quite add up and Toph wasn't sure if she could trust her. Still, it was worth considering the possibility that this girl was genuinely opposed to Azula's rule and Toph decided to sleep on it.

"Okay, well, I'm going to sleep." she announced, startling Ren with her abrupt change of topic. With that, she lay down, folding her arms behind her head and waiting for sleep to come.

"Wait, what about me?" Ren asked, her tone incredulous.

"You're going to stay in that prison until morning and then, depending on how I feel, I'll decide what to do with you." Toph said. "Now shut up and let me sleep."

Ren didn't speak again and Toph drifted off to sleep, her mind still racing as she tried to decide if Ren was telling the truth. It was hard to believe that she was genuinely opposed to Azula's reign, but then not all Fire Nation citizens had pledged their support to Azula, so maybe she was. Still, it was going to be difficult for Toph to put aside her mistrust of random firebenders. The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom had been enemies for a long time and old feeling often die hard. The Harmony Restoration Movement had done little to change this and Toph wondered if true peace between the two nations would ever be possible now. It was strange though that the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation were such bitter enemies, as fire and earth were not the inherent opposites of each other. The opposite element of earth was air and the opposite of fire was water, and yet it was earth and fire that seemed to clash the most.

It was then that Toph was reminded of a quote she had heard during the war with Azula, _when earth meets fire, devastation follows_. It was a curious quote and Toph had often wondered exactly what it meant. She had not been able to figure it out before, but her encounter with Ren had given her new clarity and she now understood. Earth and fire were in a perpetual state of warfare and with that warfare came devastation like what had followed in the wake of Azula's conquest. And in that moment Toph wondered if perhaps Ren had come to her for a reason. Perhaps they were the ones who were meant to break the cycle and prove that earth and fire could coexist in peace and harmony.

**A/N: Well, we have finally met the young firebender I mentioned in the summary. As you can see, her name is Ren and she is just as sarcastic and stubborn as Toph, which will make for some interesting conversations later in the story. Anyway, now you know where the story got it's title from and yes, the quote will come to play a larger role as we progress deeper into the story. Finally, there have been some questions about revealing the whereabouts of the others. To this I say, please be patient. I will reveal what happened to them in due time. Thanks.**


	8. A Fragile Alliance

Toph woke sometime later, though she had no way of knowing if it was morning yet. The steep walls of the gorge cast shadows over the gorge's floor and very little sunlight made down to where Toph was standing. Not that it mattered, she couldn't see the sunlight anyway, so the time of day was really irrelevant. Still, Toph supposed it would be nice to know what time it was as it would be more likely for raiders to attack at night. And that was something Toph was keen to avoid at all costs, so knowing the time of day would have been nice, but there wasn't much Toph could do about that now and she wasn't going to waste time worrying about it.

It was then that Toph remembered Ren. Wondering if the young firebender girl was still there, Toph turned and held out her hands, reaching out for the earthen prison she had trapped Ren in the night before. To her relief the prison was still there and Ren was still trapped within it. She was asleep at the moment, her head slumped forward against the stone, her breathing relaxed and even. Toph smiled to herself, amused by Ren's ability to fall asleep even though she was held upright by an earthen prison. _That's something not many people could do, I assume,_ Toph though as she walked up to Ren and tapped her on the forehead.

"Wakey, wakey, little girl." she said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

Ren grunted and jerked her head back from Toph's reach, but she did not wake up, making Toph's level of annoyance rise. Sighing she picked up a small rock and chucked it at Ren's head. "Hey, I said wake up, damn it!" she shouted.

The rock hit Ren in the forehead and she jerked awake with a painful gasp. "Ow!" she cried. "What the hell?" She glared at Toph who was not looking at her.

"Well, I had to wake you up somehow, didn't I?" Toph asked, her sightless gaze fixed on the floor of the gorge.

"And you thought chucking a rock at my head was the best way to do that?" Ren asked, her tone incredulous.

"I tried being gentle, but you didn't respond to that approach." Toph said, her tone nonchalant, as though she made a living chucking rocks at sleeping firebenders.

"God, you earthbenders are all the same, aren't you?" Ren asked, her tone irritated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toph asked, now slightly confused.

"It means you don't even consider the possibility of working with firebenders." Ren said. "You're so damn stubborn that you don't even stop to think about the possibility that there are firebenders who actually want to help you. You just assume we're all violent and destructive and then you chuck rocks at our heads."

"Yeah, well, what about you?" Toph asked. "Aren't you just like all other firebenders?" In the back of her mind she knew Ren was right. There were firebenders who were genuine in their desire for peace and harmony. She had met them, men like Zuko and Iroh and Jeong Jeong, but Ren was so irritating and Toph couldn't help antagonizing her.

"I just told you, not all firebenders are like that." Ren snapped, obviously annoyed by Toph's question.

"Yeah, but I know from experience just how brutal you firebenders can be." Toph said. "And because of that, I'm less than inclined to trust anything you say."

"Typical earthbender stubbornness." Ren muttered, shaking her head. "Thank you for proving my point."

"And you proved my point last night." Toph said, smirking.

"Hey, you're the one who attacked me." Ren protested, her tone heated.

"Only because I thought you were a raider." Toph muttered. "And I'm still not convinced you're not a raider, by the way."

"What?" Ren asked, her tone shocked. "I thought you believed my story? I thought you could tell when I was lying? Or were you lying about that?"

"No, I wasn't." Toph answered. "And I am still unsure about your true motivations because, as I told you, I have experience with firebenders and much of that experience has taught me not to trust people from the Fire Nation unless they can prove that they are worthy of being trusted."

"So, you want me to prove myself?" Ren asked, confused. "And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that when you've got me trapped in this damnable prison?"

"That's for you to figure out on your own." Toph said, grinning

"Well gee, that's helpful." Ren muttered, rolling her eyes. "How am I supposed to figure it out on my own? I can't even move in this fucking thing."

"That was kind of the point." Toph said, her tone amused. "If I am going to trust you, then you have to find a way out of this situation without relying on your firebending. That's why I immobilized you like this, so you wouldn't be able to run off or attack me. You see, what makes us benders truly great, regardless of which element we bend, is the ability to patiently observe the situation and improvise if necessary. That's a lesson I learned from an old friend." Toph smiled then and stepped back to allow Ren the time to process her words.

While Ren tried to wrap her mind around Toph's words, Toph turned her attention to breakfast. She had little in the way of food, but the dried meat she had gotten from Bao was still enough to keep her going. She had found some berries the day before and they helped break up the monotony of eating meat for every meal. Still, she longed for a full meal like she had gotten before the war with Azula. Even at Bao's she hadn't gotten all the comforts she had enjoyed before the war. Not that she felt slighted by Bao in any way, it was just that she hadn't gone this long without her favorite foods in her life and she was desperate for anything that connected her to the life she had lost. But there wasn't much she could do about it now and Toph figured she might as well make the best of a bad situation and enjoy the food she had.

As Toph enjoyed her breakfast Ren tried to force herself to understand Toph's words, but try as she might, she couldn't get them to make any sort of sense. "Ugh, this is hopeless." she muttered. "I'm never going to figure this out and that earthbender bitch is going to just leave me here to die."

"I heard that." Toph said, the sound of her voice startling Ren, who glanced at her with surprise and shock.

Toph had her back to her, but Ren knew she had just spoken and her curiosity got the better of her. "How did you hear that?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"I told you yesterday, being blind has it's advantages." Toph said, still not turning to meet Ren's gaze. "One of those advantages is a heightened sense of hearing, so try not to say something you might later regret, because I'll probably hear you."

"Oh, okay." Ren said, shaking her head. "I apologize for that."

"That's not necessary." Toph said, finally turning to face the firebender girl again. "So, have you figured out how to escape my prison without using firebending yet?"

"I thought you heard what I just said?" Ren asked, confused again.

"I did, but I thought I'd ask the question anyway." Toph said, grinning as though this was all some kind of game.

"Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, don't you?" Ren asked, irritated again. "You know, seeing as how I'm still trapped and all."

"Yes, well, keep trying." Toph said. "You'll figure it out eventually."

"And what if I don't?" Ren asked. "What will happen to me then?"

"I suppose you'll stay in that prison for the rest of your life and then you'll likely succumb to starvation and dehydration leading to your death." Toph said, her tone calm and uncaring.

Ren paled at that, her eyes going wide with fear. "But...but you said you don't kill innocent people." she stammered, fear racing through her in waves.

"Yeah, but I'm not convinced you're innocent, so technically I wouldn't be breaking that rule now, would I?" Toph asked, still calm and uncaring.

"Please, don't let me die here." Ren said then, true pleading in her voice. "I only wanted to help you, I swear that's the truth."

"That's what you said last night and yet I'm still not convinced." Toph said. "If you really wanted to help me why didn't you reveal yourself earlier? Why sneak around and follow me in the shadows if you want to help?"

"I...I don't know." Ren said. "Maybe I was afraid you wouldn't accept me or something. Is it really that important to you why I didn't reveal myself sooner?"

"Yes, it is." Toph answered, her tone cold. "How am I supposed to trust you when you were too afraid to reveal yourself the moment you first had the chance?"

"I have no answer for that." Ren admitted. "But I swear to you I am not here to kill you. I am not a raider, nor am I connected to Azula in any way. However, if you want proof that I am not lying I will give you proof. I didn't reveal myself to you sooner because I was afraid you would just think I was common firebender who was out to get you. And I was afraid that if that's what you thought you'd just kill me, instead of capturing me and forcing me to answer questions for which I have no reasonable or legitimate answers. I am sorry for this and I will accept whatever punishment you feel is justified for my dishonesty."

She fell silent then and for a moment Toph did not know how to react. On the one hand Ren's impassioned speech seemed genuine, just as her explanation for why she had known about the village had the night before. But, on the other hand, she had been dishonest in how she had gone about confronting Toph and that made Toph more than a little suspicious. In her experience the only people who were sneaky and dishonest like that were criminals, assassins, and other unsavory people who were generally out for no ones good but their own. And yet, there was something about this firebender girl that made Toph want to believe her. She realized this desire could ultimately prove to be fatal and once again the quote from the war entered her mind, _when earth meets fire, devastation follows_, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. It was possible that the opposite was also true and she and Ren were destined to prove that devastation was not the only outcome when earth and fire met and Toph ultimately decided to give that possibility a chance. To that end she dropped into a combat stance, drawing both fists back as though she was preparing to strike, and then she paused, hearing Ren's voice, sharp and clear in her ears.

"What...what are you doing?" Ren asked, her tone full of fear. Toph ignored the question and moved with lightening speed, both of her fists striking the earthen prison with tremendous force. The stone shook and shattered, releasing Ren from her bonds in a shower of crumbling rock.

Ren pitched forward and collapsed to her hands and knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Why?" she asked, glancing at Toph, who was not looking at her. "Why did you free me?"

"Because you figured out a way to escape without firebending." Toph answered. "You are free to go Ren. Do not follow me again." With that, Toph turned to gather her things before heading on her way.

"Wait." Ren called, her tone making Toph stop. "Let me come with you, please."

"Why should I do that?" Toph asked, her tone incredulous.

"Because I can help you." Ren answered. "I can sneak you into the Fire Nation and together we can overthrow Azula."

"Why would you want to overthrow Azula?" Toph asked, perplexed.

"I have my reasons." Ren said, her tone suddenly defensive.

"There you go being dishonest again." Toph said. "How am I supposed to trust you if you won't even tell me why you want to fight against Azula?"

"It's complicated, okay?" Ren snapped. "Look, my reasons don't matter. You want to overthrow Azula and I can help. Our alliance is only logical."

"How do you know I want to overthrow Azula?" Toph asked, confused.

"Unlike you, I'm not blind." Ren answered. "I can see it written all over your face, your desire for revenge. Also, what sane person wouldn't want to see Azula's rule come to an end?"

"Well, I can see you're not stupid." Toph muttered. "So yes, my ultimate goal is to see Azula's rule come to an end. But I have something else I need to do first."

"And what would this other errand be, prey tell?" Ren asked. "Maybe I can help."

Toph rolled her eyes and sighed. "Persistent little girl, aren't you?" she asked, her tone full of annoyance.

"I am not a little girl." Ren snapped. "And yes, I am. Persistent, that is."

"Alright, fine, you can come with me." Toph muttered. "But I'm warning you now, you try anything funny and I'll bury you alive and leave you to die, understood?"

"Yes." Ren said. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"The ruins of Omashu." Toph answered. "There's something I need to investigate there. Now shut up and follow me."

Ren nodded and followed, aware of just how annoyed Toph was with her. Toph sighed and started walking, her mind buzzing with a million different thoughts. Chief amongst these thoughts was her awareness of just how much mistrust existed between her and Ren. It was more than obvious that she still didn't trust Ren, but she could tell that Ren, despite her enthusiasm and willingness to help, didn't completely trust her either. She supposed she was partially to blame for that, as trapping Ren in an earth prison may have been a bit of an overreaction, but there wasn't much that could be done about it now. It had happened and was in the past and they would both just have to accept that. Besides, this new arrangement might not be all bad. It would be nice to have a traveling companion at any rate, though Toph was forced to wonder how long this fragile alliance would last and which one of them would be the one to break it.

**A/N: And so, Toph gains a companion, though as you can probably tell she isn't exactly thrilled by this fact. In any case Toph and Ren are now stuck with each other and the rest of the adventure will focus on both of them, though Toph will continue to be the main protagonist. I will eventually reveal more about Ren's past and why she is so opposed to her own nation, so don't worry about that. Also, in case you were wondering, Toph was never going to leave Ren trapped in that prison. She was just trying to get Ren to admit her dishonesty, a plan that worked perfectly, obviously. Anyway, that's all for now, so thanks for the support and please keep reading.**


	9. Return to Omashu

Toph paused on a ridge overlooking a large valley testing the scents and sounds on the air for any sign of trouble. Behind her Ren was struggling to keep up. Toph could hear the firebender's ragged breath as she came to a stop beside Toph.

"What is it?" Ren asked, her voice a gasp. "Why did we stop?"

"I was just checking to make sure we're not being followed." Toph answered. "We're deep inside territory controlled by Azula now and we have to be extra careful."

Ren sighed, annoyed by Toph's maternal tone. She didn't need Toph to tell her where they were or how dangerous it was. She knew perfectly well how dangerous it was, but she decided not to argue. They were less than a day from Omashu and to start a fight now would only jeopardize their chances of reaching the city. Toph had still not told Ren why they were headed to Omashu, but Ren supposed that whatever Toph's reasons, they must be important. Still, she would have preferred to know what Toph was thinking, though she didn't think there was any chance of that happening any time soon.

"Let's go." Toph said, her voice cutting into Ren's thoughts like a knife.

Ren groaned and followed Toph down the side of the ridge and into the valley below. She had never walked this much in one day before and her whole body ached. Not that she hadn't done her fair share of traveling since the war. She had, but she had never pushed herself as hard as Toph was pushing her. She was amazed by Toph's ability to navigate the terrain of the Earth Kingdom despite her blindness. Ren had full use of her senses and was younger than Toph and yet it was she who was struggling to keep pace with Toph. It didn't make sense, but Ren knew there had to be a reason why Toph was so good at getting around.

"How do you do it?" she asked, glancing at Toph as they made their descent.

"Do what?" Toph asked, not bothering to turn in Ren's direction.

"Move around as well as you do despite your blindness?" Ren asked.

"I am an earthbender." Toph answered. "This land is part of the Earth Kingdom. I was born in this nation and I am intrinsically tied to it. One does not need all of ones senses to function to know ones home country. I use my earthbending to see, as I have already told you. That is how I know where I am going. That is how I am able to maneuver through this terrain without being able to see it."

Ren did not fully understand Toph's explanation, but she didn't think saying so was the right move. "Okay, I guess that makes sense." she said.

Toph did not respond, choosing to ignore the fact that Ren hadn't really grasped a word she'd said. She didn't really expect Ren to understand. Very few people truly understood how and why Toph was able to do the things she did and even most of those individuals still missed out on important details. But Toph had long since given up trying to get people to understand her. It didn't matter anyway. She was who she was and that was all anyone needed to know. The deeper meanings or greater reasons for why she was so good at earthbending were irrelevant. All that mattered to her was that she was able to do these things and that no one try and stop her. Beyond that, there was nothing else anyone needed to know. Unfortunately there were only three people who had ever truly understood that and it was their understanding that motivated Toph now. Because if she never found them, Toph feared no one would ever truly understand her again.

For the next several hours they walked in silence, both of them consumed by their thoughts. Ren seemed to be trying to figure out Toph's words from earlier and Toph was busy planning where to go next if Omashu failed to yield the answers she sought. Finally Ren came to a stop, her exhaustion catching up to her.

"Can we please stop for a moment?" she asked, a hint of pleading in her tone.

Toph sighed and turned to face her, a look of disgruntlement on her face. "Don't tell me you're tired Ren." she said, her tone sarcastic.

"I am, actually." Ren admitted, hating herself for speaking.

"Well, too bad." Toph said, her tone uncaring. "We're only a few hours from Omashu and I want to get there before it gets dark."

"But I don't think I can go any further today." Ren complained.

"I have never heard a firebender complain so much." Toph muttered, rolling her eyes. "Suck it up little girl. You can rest when we reach Omashu."

"I told you not to call me a little girl." Ren snapped, anger flaring within her.

"If you're gonna act like a little girl, I'm gonna treat you like one." Toph said. "You can rest when we reach Omashu."

"No, I can't." Ren said. "If I keep pushing myself at the same pace as you my fucking lungs are going to implode."

"Bullshit." Toph said. "You're lungs aren't going to implode. Now get up and start walking before I start chucking rocks at your head again."

"No." Ren said, her tone defiant. "I am going to rest here for the night and nothing you do is going to change my mind."

For a moment Toph considered pummeling Ren with rocks, but she ultimately decided that would not help her cause. She needed Ren to help her infiltrate the Fire Nation and she could not afford to lose the help. No matter how annoying Ren was Toph would have to restrain herself or she risked losing her one and only way into the Fire Nation.

"Fine." she spat. "We'll rest here for tonight. But if you ever get in my face like that again, I will bury you alive." With that she turned and slammed her fists into the ground creating an earthen shelter for herself and shutting off Ren's retort.

Ren stared at Toph's shelter for a moment, rage coursing through her veins like white hot fire. But it was obvious Toph was done talking and after a moment Ren let her anger subside before flopping down on the ground beneath the scorched remains of a tree. She felt her stomach rumble with hunger, but there wasn't much she could do to sate it. Toph had the food and Ren didn't dare ask her to share, not when Toph was in such a foul mood. And so Ren turned to the only other activity available to her and tried to get some sleep, though the endeavor would not be easy on an empty stomach.

* * *

Several hours later Ren awoke from her fitful sleep, her stomach now aching with hunger. Wondering if Toph's mood had improved she crawled over to Toph's shelter and knocked on the side. "Toph?" she asked. "Are you awake?"

No answer greeted her and she felt her anger begin to rise again. Quickly pushing it aside she knocked again, hoping Toph wasn't sleeping. "Toph, please." she said. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I'm really hungry and you have all the food."

At that the walls of Toph's shelter shuddered and came down, revealing a visibly irritated Toph, her blank glare fixed on Ren's race. "So, you want some food, do you?" Toph asked. "Well, I'll tell you what. You stop acting like an annoying little girl and I'll give you some."

Ren was silent for a moment. She did not appreciate being spoken to like that, but she could tell that the only way Toph was going to give her something to eat was if she went along with Toph's request. She didn't think she had been acting like an annoying little girl, but she supposed her opinion of herself would be a little biased in her own favor. And so, she chose to give in to Toph's request, even though it was a major blow to her pride. "Okay." she said. "I promise to stop acting like an annoying little girl. From this day forward I will listen to you and do exactly what you say."

"Very well." Toph muttered, handing Ren some dried meat. "You can have some food."

Ren took the food eagerly, grateful that Toph had decided to take pity on her. For a moment she sat in silence, munching on the dried meat and then another question popped into her head. "So," she said, swallowing her food before continuing. "Why do you want to go to Omashu so badly?"

"Omashu was the last place I saw any of my friends." Toph answered, surprising Ren. "We were stationed there during the war with Azula and I want to know if any of my friends are still there. Omashu was the last place I saw before Azula took everything. I was there when the city fell and want to see what's become of it in the six years I've been gone."

"I see." Ren said, surprised by Toph's honesty. "So, you think there's still a chance your friends are there?"

"Yes." Toph answered. "Not much of a chance, but all possibilities are worth investigating."

"Well, let's get going then." Ren said, rising to her feet. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt like Toph was worth helping. She had also lost everything to the war and she felt sympathy for Toph and the situation she was in. And if she helped Toph find the answers she sought, perhaps Toph would help her as well.

"What changed your mind so quickly?" Toph asked. "I thought you were too tired to continue on."

"I was." Ren said. "But, I've gotten some rest now and some food and now I feel like I can do anything. So let's go. Omashu is only a few hours away."

"I know." Toph said, amused by Ren's sudden shift in mood. "Well, if you're ready, I guess we should be on our way."

Ren nodded and they set off, both of them aware that something about their relationship had just changed. Neither of them felt like addressing the issue at the moment, but both of them could feel the change. They had gotten closer somehow. There was a new level of understanding between them and it now seemed that their alliance wasn't as fragile as Toph had originally thought. Perhaps Toph's admission of her reasons for returning to Omashu had opened some sort of new emotional channel between them. Toph wasn't sure, but that was as good an explanation as any.

* * *

A few hours later they arrived at the base of the great mountain on which Omashu sat. The sun was just beginning to rise, bathing the city in golden light, and although Toph could not see the sight, she could tell the city was in ruins. She heard Ren's sharp intake of breath and felt her heart sink. Omashu had been the second greatest city in the Earth Kingdom, eclipsed only by Ba Sing Se, and to know that it was now not but a shell of its former self was more than Toph could take. She felt her blood boil with rage and the hot gush of angry tears as they rolled down her cheeks. For a moment she was consumed with a rage unlike any she had known before and she felt a powerful urge to tear the entire mountain down. And then she felt Ren's hand on her shoulder, her touch soft and comforting, and Toph felt her rage melt away.

"I know what it is you must be feeling at the moment." Ren said. "Rage, sorrow, maybe even guilt. I know, because I feel these same feelings every day. I am firebender, a citizen of the Fire Nation and I know full well that this devastation is on my hands. For that, I am sorry. So let me be the first to tell you that I will do everything in my power to atone for the mistakes of my nation."

"Thank you Ren." Toph said, her sightless eyes flickering in Ren's direction. "I appreciate that. But you are wrong. The devastation is not on your hands, it is on Azula's. You may be a citizen of the Fire Nation, but I can tell that you are not like those who mindlessly followed Azula. No, you are like Zuko, who understood that the Fire Nation could be more than just a military power or a nation of tyrants. You, like Zuko, are an example of the good that exists in all of us, even citizens of the Fire Nation."

"Thank you for that." Ren said, smiling. "So, how do you want to proceed?"

"The only way we can." Toph answered. "We have to enter the ruins of Omashu."

"Do you think there's anyone in there?" Ren asked, her tone more curious than fearful.

"I have no idea." Toph answered. "But there's only one way to find out." With that, she moved forward towards the city, knowing full well that they could be walking into a trap. Ren followed her, both of them on high alert for any sign of danger.

"Is there anything we should be looking for in particular?" Ren asked, as they entered the city. "You know, signs of your friends and stuff like that."

"Yeah, look for anything that might be Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe in origin." Toph answered. "The friends I was here with were from those two nations. Specifically, look for swords, a boomerang, and a pair of golden fans."

"Golden fans?" Ren asked, confused. "I don't understand."

"Haven't you heard of the Kyoshi Warriors?" Toph asked, perplexed.

"No." Ren answered. "I'm from the Fire Nation, remember?"

"Right, sorry." said Toph. "Anyway, the Kyoshi Warriors are a group of non-benders from Kyoshi Island who use golden fans as their primary weapons in the tradition of Avatar Kyoshi, who was the last Avatar to hail from the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh, okay, now I know what you're talking about." Ren said. "I've heard of Avatar Kyoshi, but I didn't know she'd founded a group of warriors."

"Well, now you know." Toph said. "One of my companions here six years ago was a Kyoshi Warrior. She was their leader actually, a girl named Suki." She paused then, feeling a pang of regret at the mention of Suki.

"You okay?" Ren asked, glancing at Toph in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Toph said. "Let's get moving."

Ren nodded and followed, though she could tell something was bothering Toph. She didn't feel like intruding on Toph's private thoughts however and kept her silence, not wanting to open old wounds if there was no need to. She wondered who else Toph had fought alongside at the battle of Omashu, but decided not to ask, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. She didn't see how they were supposed to find anything in these crumbling ruins, but Toph seemed determined to investigate anyway, even if there was no real chance of finding anything. And Ren had promised to help and she had never been one to break her promises.

As they searched Ren took note of how badly damaged Omashu actually was. Whole chunks of the city had been blasted away by firebenders and Ren was forced to wonder how anyone could do something like this. How could Azula be this cruel? She had no answers, but she felt a new determination to find them, no matter that cost.

Ren was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice she was about to walk off the edge of a cliff until Toph's hand shot out to hold her back.

"Careful." Toph said. "You almost went splat." She could feel Ren exhale a breath in shock, relief radiating out from her like light. Her hand was resting on Ren's midsection and she could feel a long, jagged scar through the fabric of Ren's shirt. A torrent of questions ran through Toph's mind at that moment, but before she could ask any of them she froze, her whole body going stiff.

"What is it?" Ren asked, noticing the sudden change in Toph's stance.

"Shh, you hear that?" Toph said, cocking her head to the side as she spoke.

Ren strained to hear whatever had caught Toph's attention, finally catching the sound of voices from somewhere deep inside the city. "Someone is here." she whispered, fear flooding her.

"I thought so." Toph said. "And I don't think they're friendly."

"Raiders?" Ren asked, her eyes going wide with fear.

"Most likely." Toph answered. "We should go before they find us."

"Assuming they haven't already." Ren said and Toph shuddered at the thought.

Quickly and quietly they retraced their steps, heading for the exit, Toph exuding disappointment with every step. It was obvious she had wanted to explore Omashu some more, but there was no way they could now. There was an unknown number of enemies within the ruins and Toph was not willing to risk their safety searching for companions who were obviously not there.

"I'm sorry Toph." Ren said, once they were outside. "I'm sorry we weren't able to find your friends. I know how badly you wanted to."

"It's okay." Toph said. "It was a long shot anyway."

At that moment however, something caught Ren's eye, something golden laying amongst the rocks just outside Omashu. Curious she walked over to the rocks and dug around for a moment, finally pulling free what looked like the tattered remains of a golden fan. Beside it was a broken fragment of a boomerang and some bronze coins, which she collected with a great deal of excitement.

"What are you doing Ren?" Toph asked. "We have to get out of here."

"I found something." Ren answered, handing her treasures over to Toph. "I think it's what we were looking for."

Toph took the items and felt them each in turn. One object had sharp edges and she could tell from its contours that it was a fragment of Sokka's boomerang. The second object was obviously the tattered remains of one of Suki's fans. And the coins she would recognize anywhere. They were the coins that he metalbending students used in combat. And at that moment realization hit Toph. Her friends had been here. They had continued to fight even after she had been taken out. And if their weapons were here, damaged and discarded, then there were only two locations in which they could possibly be, the Fire Nation or Ba Sing Se.

Excitement coursing through her veins, Toph turned to Ren. "They were here." she whispered. "My friends were here."

"But they're not anymore." Ren said. "So where are they now?"

"Knowing them, they're hiding out somewhere else and I think I know exactly where to look." Toph said. "Come on, we're going to Ba Sing Se."

Ren smiled, delighted they had found something, and quickly moved to follow Toph who was moving with a newfound purpose and determination that made Ren want to do the same.

**A/N: And so, the next step of the journey begins. Keep in mind that just because they found signs of Toph's friends doesn't mean said friends are still alive. It doesn't mean they're dead either, but I want to make sure everyone understands the possibilities. If you were hoping for a battle here, I'm sorry, but I'm saving the battles for later in the fic. Finally, next chapter will reveal some of Ren's history, so you will finally know where she came from and why she is so willing to help Toph.**


	10. Trading Stories

That night, Toph and Ren made camp a few miles from Omashu. Toph had not intended to stop, but she and Ren were exhausted from their search of Omashu and she sensed that it was in their best interest to take some time to rest. Ren seemed to be grateful for this, though she said nothing to confirm Toph's assumptions. It seemed that the excitement of their discovery had drained Ren of her energy and she was now too tired to speak. Toph had to admit that Ren's dedication to their pursuit was admirable, especially considering how much of a burden she had been when their alliance had begun. Still, there was something about Ren that made Toph just a little uneasy and it was then that she realized what that something was. She still knew virtually nothing about Ren and she realized that if there was ever to be complete trust between them they would have to learn more about each other. But it wasn't just a simple lack of knowledge about her companion that was making Toph curious. There was also the scar she had felt on Ren's abdomen when they were in Omashu. That scar had come from somewhere and Toph wanted to know where.

A short time later, after they had made camp and eaten, Toph turned her sightless gaze towards Ren and asked her question. "So, where did you get that scar on your abdomen?" she asked, her tone casual.

Ren stiffened, her whole body going rigid with shock. "I...what scar?" she asked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What have I told you about lying to me?" Toph asked, her tone suddenly serious.

"That it's pointless, because you can tell when I'm lying." Ren answered.

"Then why did you just lie to me?" Toph asked, her head cocked to the side in speculation.

"I didn't." Ren said, a note of fear in her tone. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any scars."

"Yes you do." Toph said. "I felt it when I stopped you from walking off that cliff in Omashu. I could feel it through your shirt."

"How?" Ren asked, deciding not to lie again. "How'd you feel it through my shirt?"

"My sense of touch is extra sensitive, remember?" Toph answered, with a smile.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Ren said. "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay." Toph said. "So, where did you get the scar."

Again Ren stiffened, as though the answer was unpleasant. "It's...well, it's personal." she said, after a moment of silence.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." Toph said, her tone calm and her expression comforting.

"It has to do with my past." Ren said, though she still seemed like she didn't want to talk about it. She paused for a moment, her whole body trembling. "I'm sorry." she said a moment later. "I can't talk about this, it's too painful."

Toph hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted to question Ren further. But ultimately her curiosity got the better of her and she spoke, her voice calm and reassuring. "It's okay Ren." she said. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But, you should know that I won't judge you and we should share at least a bit of our pasts with each other. It doesn't have to be this though. How about you tell me where you're from."

"You already know that." Ren said, after a moment of silence. "I'm from the Fire Nation."

"Yes, but where in the Fire Nation were you born?" Toph asked.

Ren hesitated a moment before answering. "I was born and raised in the town of Shu Jing in the eastern Fire Nation." she said. "It's way out to the east, on an island near the border between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom."

"I know." Toph said. "Shu Jing is the home of the great sword-smith and master swordsman Piandao. My friend Sokka trained there."

"Huh, that's interesting." Ren said. "So, where are you from originally?"

"I was born in the Earth Kingdom city of Gaoling." Toph answered. "It's in the southeast corner of the Earth Kingdom and is well known for its earthbending tournaments which I competed in when I was younger."

"What about your family?" Ren asked. "What are they like?"

Now it was Toph's turn to hesitate. She hated talking about her parents, but she had opened this can of worms and it would seem like cowardice to try and worm out of it now. Sighing, she fixed her sightless gaze on the ground and spoke.

"My parents were among Gaoling's elite." she said. "The Beifong family has been one of the most important families in that city for years, so I guess you could say I was born into the elite of society. I grew up in large house with servants, but it was hell. My parents treated me like a helpless, fragile doll just because I'm blind and I hated them for it. They wouldn't let me go anywhere without an escort, so, when the opportunity presented itself I ran away from home."

"You ran away from home?" Ren repeated, shocked by this revelation.

"Yes." Toph answered, her tone still calm as if this was no big thing.

"How old were you when you ran away?" Ren asked, still in shock.

"I was twelve." Toph answered. "But I could take care of myself. I've always been able to take care of myself. My blindness has never been a hindrance in any way. In fact it's only helped me become a better earthbender."

"But what about your parents?" Ren asked. "Didn't you give any consideration to how you'd make them feel by running away?"

"At the time, no, I didn't." Toph answered. "In the years since I have and I'll admit, sometimes I regret doing it, but you have to understand that I wasn't being allowed to be me. I was forced to be something I had no desire to be and I couldn't take it any longer. Still, it would be nice to know how my parents are doing. I haven't seen them since I left Gaoling. I'm twenty two now, so I haven't seen my parents in ten years."

Ren was shocked by this. She could imagine not seeing her parents for ten years, but not because she had chosen to. "How can you have willingly ignored your parents for ten years?" she asked, staring at Toph in horror.

"I just have." Toph answered. "Why is this such a big deal for you? What were your parents like? Weren't they controlling of you like mine were?"

"No, they weren't." Ren answered. "My parents were great. My father owned a shop where he made and sold tools and my mother grew crops which she sold to the other villagers. It wasn't ideal, but I never once had a desire to run away from home."

"Well hooray for you." Toph said, her tone bitter. "You had a great family, so what? I had a shitty family, but at least I had a grand adventure."

"And you think that makes up for the fact that you haven't talked to your parents in ten years?" Ren asked, her tone incredulous.

"I do actually." Toph answered. "Though, as I already said, I will admit that it'd be nice to know how my parents are doing. I don't even know if they're still alive."

"Well that's nice." Ren said, her tone sarcastic. "So, what was this grand adventure you went on after you ran away?"

"It was an adventure that changed the world." Toph answered, a hint of pride in her tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ren asked, confused.

"When I left home, I joined Avatar Aang on his quest." Toph answered. "In fact, I'm the one who taught him to earthbend."

Again Ren was taken aback by Toph's words and for a moment she was too stunned to speak. "Really?" she asked a moment later, having finally found her voice again. "You trained Avatar Aang? You traveled with him? You fought alongside him?"

"I did." Toph answered, doing her best not to sound smug. "I fought alongside him and I helped him defeat Fire Lord Ozai. In fact, Aang is one of the friends we were looking for in Omashu."

"But the Avatar wasn't in Omashu when it fell." Ren said. "He was in Ba Sing Se."

"Yeah, that's why we're headed there next." Toph said, with a knowing smile.

"How do you know he'll still be there though?" Ren asked. "I heard he was killed by Azula after the war."

"Aang wouldn't go that easily." Toph answered. "However, to answerer your question honestly, I don't know for sure that he's still in Ba Sing Se. But there's only one way to find out. How'd you know he was in the City of Walls at the end of the war anyway? You're to young to have fought in the war against Azula, so how did you come by that information?"

"My parents were extremely loyal to Fire Lord Zuko." Ren answered. "They fought against Azula's forces, like all true Fire Nation citizens did, and I picked up on a few things from them. I'm not stupid, you know?"

"I never assumed you were." Toph said, smiling. "So, your parents were loyal to Zuko, and by extension, Aang and that's how you learned these things? That's quite impressive, as the way I understand it, one has to be pretty important to be able to rub shoulders with the Fire Lord."

"I won't deny that." Ren said. "Though it helped that we lived in the same town as Piandao, who trained Zuko in the art of swordplay. When the war started, my father helped Piandao make weapons for the non-benders in Zuko's army."

"Yeah, I can see how that would help." Toph said. "So, where are your parents now?"

At this Ren became suddenly very quiet, as though Toph's question had triggered some sort of bad memories. "They...they're dead." Ren answered, after a long beat, her voice choked with emotion. "They died in the war."

"Ren, I'm sorry." Toph said, her heart sinking. "Truly, I am."

"I know you are." Ren said. "But it's not your fault."

Toph had no response for that. True, it wasn't her fault Ren's parents had been killed, but somehow it felt like it was. It was an absurd, illogical thought and Toph knew it. She hadn't even known Ren back then, so how could it be her fault that Ren's parents had died? And yet she felt guilt, despite all the evidence that told her she didn't need to. All of the deaths from the war were in some way her fault, hers, and Aang's, and Zuko's, and everyone else who had survived. The blood was on all their hands because they hadn't been able to stop Azula. And in that moment Toph realized that the only way to wash that guilt away was to succeed now where they had failed then.

"Why were your parents killed?" she asked, still curious despite her newfound resolve.

"Have you heard of the Order of the White Lotus?" Ren asked.

"Of course I have." Toph answered. "The White Lotus was instrumental in the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai and the end of the Hundred Years War."

"Yes, well, my father was a member of the Order." Ren said. "That's why Piandao asked him to help make weapons for Zuko's army."

"Your father was a member of the Order of the White Lotus?" Toph asked, amazed. "I thought only bending masters could be members?"

"Well, he wasn't a high ranking member or anything." Ren said. "But he was a member and he served a vital purpose. It was my father's job to monitor the activity of Azula's followers and report to the leaders of the Order. Unfortunately, he was discovered and he and my mother were taken prisoner. I managed to escape thanks to them, but I knew they would be killed. So I slipped back into the town and tried to save them, only to see them be publicly executed as traitors, even though it was Azula who was the traitor."

"I'm sorry Ren." Toph said. It was all she could say. She had never imagined that Azula's cruelty was that strong, that she had been branding Fire Nation citizens traitors even before she had won the war. It was enough to make Toph's blood boil and again she reaffirmed her desire to end Azula's tyrannical reign.

"Thank you for your sympathy." Ren said, drawing Toph out of her reverie. "But it is not sympathy I need. After my parents were killed I vowed to get revenge and that is why I was following you, because I cannot get revenge on my own."

"Then you came to the right earthbender." Toph said, her face lit by the dying fire they had used to cook earlier. "Because I want revenge as well."

"Good." Ren said. "I have spent the last six years trying to find allies to aid me in my quest, but you are the first one I have found. I know there is a resistance movement that has been in operation since Azula took the throne, but they are scattered and leaderless. I have resisted Azula alone and that is how I got the scar you asked about earlier."

At this Toph turned her blank gaze in Ren's direction, her curiosity piqued. Ren smiled at this and continued. "I was ten when my parents were killed. Three years later, when I was thirteen, I was captured by men working for Azula. Knowing I was the daughter of a former member of the White Lotus they tortured me, flogging me until I could barely stand. My back still bears the scars of that torture. But, finally, after months in captivity, I managed to escape."

She paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "Two years later, when I was fifteen, I was attacked by another group of raiders. I fought them bravely, but they outnumbered me and one of them managed to impale me with his blade. They left me to die, but I was found by an elderly man from the Earth Kingdom who nursed me back to health. It was he who told me of the resistance movement against Azula and once I was healed I set out to find them. It has been two years and you are the only person I have found who is willing to fight. That is my story and this is my mission, to see Azula overthrown and the true Fire Lord returned to the throne. Because only with Zuko's leadership can the Fire Nation atone for its past mistakes."

Toph was silent for a moment following Ren's tale. She had never met a person more opposed to the Fire Nation's tyranny than this girl, which was amazing considering the people she knew. It was inspiring to listen to Ren's speech and for the first time Toph was glad she had met this firebender girl. All that she wanted was embodied in Ren, most importantly a desire to see the end of Azula's reign. Toph could not help feeling proud of Ren's dedication and she knew the others would be as well, especially Zuko, who embodied everything that was good about the Fire Nation. Ren had overcome immense odds to get where she was today and she was still fighting for what was right and in that moment Toph knew that together they would succeed where entire armies had failed six years earlier. Together they would defeat Azula and see the world returned to peace and harmony.

"Okay Ren." she said. "I've heard enough talking. Now it's time for action. Now it's time for us to find that resistance and overthrow Azula once and for all."

Ren smiled. "Yes, it is." she agreed. "Together we will do it. Together we will avenge my parents and find your friends, if they still live. Together, we will defeat Azula for good. Onward to Ba Sing Se."

Toph grinned and together they set off again, both of them moving with a new determination to see the day when Azula's reign ended and a new world of peace and harmony was made.

**A/N: Okay, so, now you know Ren's back-story, or at least some of it. There are a few more things that I will reveal in later chapters. Also, in case you're wondering if the information about where Ren was born is accurate, I assure you it is. I did my research, but if you still need proof check the Avatar wiki or check out episode 4 from book three entitled "Sokka's Master" in which Piandao is introduced. Finally, the title of this chapter refers to the things Toph and Ren revealed to each other during the course of the chapter. **


	11. The Road to the Capital

Sometime the next day Toph and Ren stopped for a quick break. They had been walking since breaking camp the previous evening and it was time for another rest. Toph was keenly aware that every stop they made effectively lengthened their journey to Ba Sing Se, but it couldn't be helped. The road to the capital was long and treacherous and if they were going to make it there in any kind of shape for a fight they would need to periodically rest. It was annoying because Toph just wanted to reach the city where they would be better protected from Azula's raiders, but she couldn't push the pace too much or they would burn themselves out before they even reached Ba Sing Se. And so, they stopped, both of them aware that an attack could come at any time.

The break did give Toph a chance to tackle another issue that had been bugging her since she'd left her cave, which was, how were they even going to reach Ba Sing Se from their current location? Omashu was on the exact opposite side of the continent from Ba Sing Se and between them lay the vast expanse of the Si Wong Desert, not to mention several large bodies of water that would not be easy to cross. Toph had made the journey before, but that had been before the war when there had been boats to cross the water and she'd had Appa to carry her across the desert. She'd also had Aang, Katara, and Sokka to watch her back, which had made things decidedly easier. Not that Ren wasn't a good ally, it was just that Ren had never made this journey before and therefore lacked the knowledge of the terrain that would make the journey easier.

So the question remained, how would they get to Ba Sing Se? The most obvious answer was to take the Serpent's Pass, a narrow strip of land that connected the southern half of the Earth Kingdom to the northern half. However Toph was less than enthusiastic to use the pass, as it was a dangerous road to take and was guarded by a massive serpent, from which the pass had gotten its name. Toph had made the journey across the pass on her first trip to Ba Sing Se and had had nearly drowned while making the crossing thanks to the serpent. But it occurred to her then that the serpent may no longer be alive, so perhaps taking the Serpent's Pass wouldn't be as bad as she was thinking it would be. The pass was the quickest rout to Ba Sing Se after all, so maybe it was worth the risk. Still, Toph decided to ask Ren what she thought before making any decisions.

"Hey Ren, let me ask you something." she said, once they had found a comfortable and shady place to rest.

"Let me hear it." Ren said, with a curious glance at Toph.

"What do you know about the Serpent's Pass?" Toph asked, her sightless gaze staring off into the distance.

"I've never heard of it." Ren said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, because it's the most direct rout to Ba Sing Se and I was just wondering if you knew anything about it." Toph answered, grinning.

"Okay, what aren't you telling me?" Ren asked, instantly suspicious.

"Nothing." Toph said, her tone innocent. "I'm just curious is all."

"Yeah, that's a great story and all, except you already know I'm from the Fire Nation and therefore unfamiliar with Earth Kingdom geography." Ren said. "Which leads me to believe that there's something you're not telling me about this Serpent's Pass."

"Alright, you caught me." Toph muttered, rolling her eyes. "There is something I'm not telling you about the pass, but you're not gonna like it."

"Ha! I knew you were lying!" Ren cried. "And what do you mean I won't like it?"

"Well, here's the thing." Toph said, speaking with more confidence than she felt. "The pass is guarded by a giant serpent, which is how it got its name."

"Well that's terrific." Ren muttered. "The pass is guarded by a giant serpent and you were actually considering using it, weren't you?"

"I was actually." Toph confirmed, her blank gaze now focused on the ground.

"Are you crazy?" Ren asked. "You want to go to a place guarded by a giant serpent? I knew there was something wrong with you."

"It's not that I want to go there." Toph said, choosing to ignore Ren's comments. "It's more like we don't really have another choice. Serpent's Pass is the most direct rout to Ba Sing Se and if we want to get there, then we're going to have to take this risk."

"Wait, wait, hold on a minute." Ren said, holding her hands up in protest. "You said it's the most direct rout to Ba Sing Se, but that implies it's not the only one, right?"

"Technically there are other routs." Toph conceded. "There are boats that cross the lakes on either side of the pass, but..." She trailed off, struck by a sudden thought. What if the boats still existed? She doubted they did, but there was always a chance.

"But what?" Ren asked, her amber colored eyes flashing with annoyance.

"But there is no guarantee that those boats even still exist." Toph said, continuing her previous sentence as she hadn't been interrupted. "It's likely they were destroyed during the war to prevent people from escaping from Ba Sing Se."

"But there is also a possibility they weren't, right?" Ren asked, her tone hopeful.

"There is a possibility, but I wouldn't risk it." Toph answered. "Because even if the boats weren't all destroyed there is a greater chance that they are being watched by Azula's raiders than the pass, because no one liked using the pass before the war, so why would anyone want to use it now?"

"I don't know, maybe because they're not crazy like you." Ren snapped.

"That's the second time today you've called me crazy and I'm telling you now, I will kick your ass if you do it again." Toph snapped.

"I'll stop calling you crazy when you stop acting crazy." Ren muttered. "I am not walking into a pass guarded by-" Her sentence abruptly cut off as Toph slammed a pillar of stone into her, knock Ren onto her back. Before Ren could even think to react, Toph had her hands and feet trapped and was standing over her preventing Ren from getting up.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Ren shouted. "Let me up!"

"Shut up." Toph snapped, her tone venomous. "I told you not to call me crazy and this is what you get for failing to listen. Now, we're going to go through the Serpent's Pass and there's nothing you can do about it, understand?"

Reluctantly Ren nodded, though she still felt less than enthusiastic about this plan. She had no desire to deal with a giant serpent, but Toph seemed determined to go through the pass and Ren didn't want to start any unnecessary arguments.

"Good." Toph said, releasing the stone bonds on Ren's wrists and ankles. "I know the pass seems like an unpleasant place, but at this moment it's the quickest and safest rout to the capital. We can sneak in undetected and avoid a long, boring journey through the Si Wong Desert, unless you want to spend days trudging through a barren wasteland?"

"No, I don't want to do that." Ren said, though some part of her would have preferred that to getting eaten by a giant serpent.

"I didn't think so." Toph said, trying not to sound pleased with herself. "Like I said, the pass is our safest bet at the moment and besides, the serpent may not be there anymore. It's been a long time since I last journeyed across that pass."

"Wait, you've taken the Serpent's Pass before?" Ren asked. "When did you do that?"

"The first time I visited Ba Sing Se." Toph answered.

"You've been to Ba Sing Se before?" Ren asked, honestly amazed, all of her anger disappearing.

"Yes. Ten years ago." Toph answered. "And then again during the war with Azula."

"I thought you were in Omashu during the war." Ren said, confused.

"I was, but I was in Ba Sing Se first." Toph replied. "I was deployed to Omashu later in the war to help try and hold the city."

Ren nodded, seeming to understand. "Why did you come to Ba Sing Se the first time?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I was traveling with Avatar Aang." Toph answered. "We were hoping to get the support of Earth King Kuei for the impending end of the Hundred Years War, but things ended up going badly. Azula invaded and eventually took the city, forcing us to come up with a new plan."

"Well, this time you won't fail." Ren said. "I'll make sure of that. This time you'll win and we'll find your friends and stop Azula."

Toph nodded, appreciating Ren's words. "Thanks for that Ren." she said. "And sorry for lashing out at you earlier."

"It's okay." Ren said. "I crossed a line and I'm sorry for that. You're not crazy Toph. You're brave and tough and a truly good person, and no one can ever take that away from you."

Toph didn't know quite how to respond to that. She had spent so much of her life being told that she couldn't do things that it had been a blessing to meet people like Aang, Katara, and Sokka who saw her for who she truly was. And then she had lost them, leaving her without anyone to support her true self. But she seemed to have found someone to do that again in Ren and she felt herself hoping that nothing bad ever happened to Ren so she would never be alone again.

"Thank you Ren." she said again, smiling this time. "I really appreciate that. It means a lot to have you on this journey with me."

"I'm glad I could be of service." Ren said, smiling as well. "And again, I'm sorry for acting like a bitch earlier."

"Forget about it." Toph said. "It's in the past. Besides, it can't all be easy on the road to the capital. We're entering dangerous territory and there's bound to be some conflict along the way. But that's what makes it fun. Well that, and the hope that we'll eventually make the world a better place."

Ren nodded and they set off again, neither of them aware of just how true Toph's words were. For unknown forces were lurking in the shadows and they would soon find out just how hard the road to the capital and victory really are.

**A/N: Well, there you go. The journey to Ba Sing Se had begun. Sorry I took so long to get this up. I've been slightly distracted by other things, specifically A Foundation Called Family and the original story I'm writing for . Also, sorry this is so short, but I got all needed to say out in fewer words than I thought I'd need. Anyway, the next wait shouldn't be quite so long and the next chapter should be longer, so thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoyed. **


	12. Backstabber

Toph paused on a low ridge overlooking a small valley. She wiped sweat from her brow and sighed, wishing she and Ren had something to ride on for the rest of their journey. It had been nearly two days since they had decided to use the Serpent's Pass to reach Ba Sing Se and they were still at least three days from even reaching the pass. This meant that they were still at least five days from Ba Sing Se and Toph was beginning to get frustrated with their lack of progress. The more time it took for them to reach the capital, the more time Azula had to sit on the Fire Nation throne and that was something Toph simply couldn't abide. She knew Ren couldn't abide that either, but it was beginning to seem like they would never reach their destination, as though some cosmic force was actually slowing them down. It seemed insane, but Toph had learned from her travels with Aang that all things are possible and even the most unlikely of events can actually occur.

Sighing again, she turned to face Ren who was sitting on a large boulder a few feet behind her. "Well, we'd best get going." Toph said. "We're not doing anyone any good just sitting here."

Ren nodded and got to her feet. "How much longer until we reach the pass?" she asked.

"Another three days, at least." Toph answered, her tone sullen.

"I really wish we had a ride." Ren said. Her tone wasn't whiny, so at least she wasn't complaining, but she did seem desperate to find another way to travel.

"Yeah, so do I." Toph muttered. "But we don't, so there's no sense in wishing for one."

"You never know." Ren said. "Sometimes if you wish hard enough your wishes come true. Maybe if we really concentrate we can get some komodo-rhinos to appear out of thin air or something."

"Now you sound like my friend Sokka." Toph muttered. "He was always coming up with crazy plans and wishing things would work out how he wanted them to, but they rarely did. So, I'm sorry, but I don't think that wishing hard enough is going to help us."

"I still think it's worth a shot." Ren protested, though it was obvious Toph wasn't going to buy into this plan.

"Yeah, well, I don't." Toph said. "Now, let's get going before something stumbles across us and we're forced to fight our way to the pass."

With that, she spun on her heel and set off without another word. Ren hesitated a moment before following Toph, glancing over her shoulder as though she was worried something was following them.

* * *

Several hours later they stopped again, this time making camp for the night. Both of them were exhausted, as usual, and Toph had become even more irritated than she had been that morning. Ren was weary of saying anything for fear of pissing Toph off, but she had to do something to get Toph out of her foul mood. Fortunately Ren knew just the thing to make Toph feel better and she just happened to have some on her. The trick now was getting Toph to drink it.

While Ren was busy trying to figure out how to get Toph to drink, Toph was busy trying to decide if they had any other options for getting to Ba Sing Se. She already knew they did, but she was beginning to wonder of one of the other options would be better than crossing the Serpent's Pass. She had not anticipated it taking them this long to reach the pass and she was beginning to wonder if the ferry was the better option. The only problem was, the Ba Sing Se ferry was even further away from their current location than the Serpent's Pass was, so in reality they'd just be wasting even more time if they tried to reach the ferry now. And there was also the issue of the ferry likely being watched by Azula's followers to consider.

"Damn it!" Toph shouted then, her frustration boiling over. "Why is this so fucking hard?"

Ren glanced at her, momentarily taken aback by Toph's outburst. "Well, it's like you said a few days ago." she said, finally regaining her voice. "We're entering dangerous territory and things are bound to be more difficult than we anticipated."

Toph turned her sightless gaze in Ren's direction, her expression incredulous. "Tell me something I don't already know." she snapped. "Simply repeating what I've already said isn't helpful."

"Sorry." Ren said, with a quick bow. "Look, I know you're frustrated, but it can't be helped. We just have to push forward and hope for the best."

Toph didn't respond to that. She knew Ren was right, but she couldn't help being frustrated. Ever since that day at Omashu she had been frustrated and angry. She was frustrated with herself for not trying to find her friends sooner. She was frustrated with her friends for not being there, though she knew it wasn't their fault. She was frustrated with Ren for being so damned confident that they would succeed. And most of all she was frustrated with and pissed off at Azula for breaking the peace and plunging the world into this barren, scorched shit hole in which they now lived.

Seeing that her words had done little to calm Toph's nerves Ren offered Toph a cup of her special brew. "Here, drink this." she said. "It'll make you feel better."

"What is it?" Toph asked, reluctantly taking the cup.

"It's my own, special, homemade fire wine." Ren answered. "It's good for you." In truth it was just regular fire wine that Ren had added a powerful sedative to, but Toph didn't need to know that. Besides, Toph could use the rest it would provide and Ren could use the time to investigate her suspicions that they were being followed.

Toph wrinkled her nose at the wine. "Uh, thanks...but I think I'll pass." she said. She'd had too many bad experiences with alcohol in the past, particularly the incident with Lu, and she wasn't willing to let something like that happen again.

"Come on Toph." Ren pressed. "I promise I'm not trying to poison you or anything. I just want to help you relax a bit."

Toph hesitated, not sure if she could trust Ren on this. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe a little bit of relaxation wouldn't be such a bad thing. Besides, she had no real reason not to trust Ren, so why not try the wine? All she had to do was take one sip. If she didn't like it she didn't have to drink any more. Surely there was no harm in that, was there? Ultimately she decided there wasn't and took a sip, ever aware that Ren was watching her intently.

The effects of the wine were instantaneous. Toph felt a powerful feeling of warmth spread through her body and then the world seemed to spin around her. She tried to steady herself, but the spinning wouldn't stop, and she had to fight the urge to vomit.

"How do you like it?" Ren asked, her voice fuzzy to Toph's ears.

"It...it's good." Toph said, barely able to get the words out. "Is the world supposed to be spinning though?"

"That happens on occasion." Ren said, grinning. "Why don't you drink some more?"

Toph nodded and took another sip, only this time she didn't feel the sensation of warmth. Instead she felt like she had swallowed a chunk of ice, her insides going cold as the spinning intensified, making her even dizzier. It didn't feel right and it was then that she realized something had been done to the wine. "What...what did you..." she asked, trying to focus on Ren with her seismic sense as she keeled over, hitting the ground with a thud.

"It's not what I did." Ren said then, her voice even fuzzier to Toph's ears. "It's what happens to those who have never tried my wine."

"What...that mean..." Toph slurred, as her head slumped back, her eyes rolling in their sockets as she passed out, the blissful clam of darkness embracing her in its arms.

With Toph unconscious Ren sprang into action, covering Toph with a blanket before taking her leave. "Sleep well Toph." she muttered, before disappearing into the night.

* * *

A short time later Ren arrived at her destination. She could see the fire blazing from nearly a mile away and knew that these were the people she wanted to talk to. She cautiously approached the camp, aware that she was taking a huge risk, but determined not to go back. She entered the camp from the south, noting that there were five raiders gathered around the fire. The largest had his back to her, but as soon as she entered the camp he spun and shot a blast of fire at her, which she easily deflected.

"Who the hell are you?" the big firebender asked, his tone gruff.

"My name is Ren." Ren answered. "I am a citizen of the Fire Nation and a fellow firebender. I mean you no harm."

"Oh really?" the big firebender asked. "If that's true, why're you sneaking into our camp in the middle of the night?"

"Because I have a proposition I wish to discuss with you and I couldn't contact you during the day." Ren answered.

"What kind of proposition?" another raider with a nose like a birds beak asked, his tone whiny and high pitched.

"Shut it Jiro." the big firebender snapped. "I'll ask the questions."

"But Hong-" Jiro began, before a look from Hong shut him up.

_Hong_, Ren thought, smiling. _So these are the raiders I was hoping for_. "So, your name is Hong, is it?" she asked, glancing at Hong.

"Yes, what about it?" Hong snapped, instantly suspicious.

"Nothing." Ren said. "It's just, I've heard of your exploits and I wish to commission your services to deal with a little problem I have."

"You've heard of my exploits huh?" Hong asked, still suspicious.

"Indeed I have." Ren said. "I've heard you're extremely loyal to Fire Lord Azula. I've heard that you helped torch an Earth Kingdom village only a few days ago and that you found a rogue earthbender hiding in a cave near that village."

"Yeah, we did." Jiro said. "And the bitch tried to bury us alive."

"Jiro, shut up!" Hong shouted. He cast a suspicious glance at Ren, as though he was trying to read her mind.

"Do you deny your exploits?" Ren asked, looking Hong directly in the eye, not the least bit fazed by his gruff demeanor.

"No, Jiro speaks the truth, as do you." Hong said, suddenly fearful. "We are loyal to Azula and we did help torch that village. We also found a rogue earthbender, but she escaped."

"What if I told you I know where she is?" Ren asked, smiling at the way Hong's face lit up at this question.

"I would say you're one exceptional firebender." Hong said, with a sheepish grin.

"You have no idea." Ren said, grinning. "Anyway, my proposition is this. I'll lead you to the earthbender's location and allow you to claim responsibility for capturing her if you let me join your gang of raiders. Sound fair?"

Hong took a moment to consider before extending his hand. "We have a deal." he said, an evil grin twisting his features. "Allow me to introduce you to the rest of the gang. This here is Jiro, my second in command."

Ren nodded at Jiro and he smiled, though there was something about his smile that made her uncomfortable. Hong smiled and continued. "This is Lyra, another firebender." He gestured at a woman who looked to be in her mid twenties. "And finally my two non-benders, Ryo and Chi." Hong said, gesturing at two young men armed with swords.

Ren nodded at each of them and then turned her attention back to Hong, who was watching her with an expectant look. "You have something you'd like to ask Hong?" she asked.

"Just wondering if you have a plan for capturing the earthbender." Hong said.

"I do actually." Ren said. "But I'll need you to listen very closely."

Hong nodded and Ren spent the rest of the night explaining her plan, while Hong and his raiders listened in rapt attention.

* * *

The next morning Toph awoke to the sounds of Ren packing up their camp. Her head was pounding and for a moment she wondered if they'd been in a fight the night before. But then she remembered Ren giving her the wine and everything clicked into place. Something had been wrong with that wine and yet Ren had still given it to her. Which meant Ren had done something to the wine, but why? Why would she need to knock Toph out? Was it possible that she wasn't as trustworthy as Toph had come to believe?

"Oh hey, you're awake." Ren said then, her voice drawing Toph from her thoughts.

"What's going on?" Toph asked. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Last night, after you passed out, I went on a scouting mission and I found signs that there are raiders in the area, or at least there were." Ren said. "But they could come back and I don't really want to be here if they do."

"Okay, good point." Toph conceded. "What the hell was in that wine, by the way?"

"Nothing special really." Ren answered. "It's just my own homemade brew. Did it help you sleep or what?"

"I guess it did." Toph answered. "I'm feeling a lot less irritated this morning at any rate."

"That's good to know." Ren said. "Now come on. We should get going before any raiders decide to come back for a visit."

Toph nodded and they finished packing, Toph passing Ren some dried meat before the set off. Toph took the lead as they left the camp, her senses on high alert for any sign of raiders. Behind her, Ren smirked, extremely satisfied with herself and the plan she had put together. To her surprise, Toph hadn't seemed to realize what was going on, which was perfect, as the plan required everyone to play the right part.

At that moment Toph froze, throwing out her hand to stop Ren. Her entire body was tensed, ready for a fight, her head cocked to the side as though she was trying to hear better.

"What is it?" Ren asked, her tone devoid of any hint that she knew what was coming.

"I thought I heard something." Toph answered. "Sounded like movement in the trees up ahead. But now I'm not sure."

At that moment three jets of flame shot out of the trees, but Toph blocked them a good five feet short of their target. "I knew it." she said. "Raiders."

_Here we go_, Ren thought as she moved into position beside Toph. "Yeah, I told you I found signs of them in the area." she said.

"I didn't doubt you." Toph said, as she sent a pair of earth blocks flying towards the trees.

Jets of fire shot out of the trees and blasted the earth blocks to bits in midair. "We're not falling for that trick again, little earthbender." a familiar, gruff voice shouted.

Toph froze again, her blood going cold. It wasn't possible. These couldn't be the same raiders she'd fought back at her cave. She'd buried those raiders alive. There was no way they could have survived. And yet there was no denying this voice belonged to Hong. It made no sense, but Toph didn't have time to try and figure it out now. No, now she needed to fight and take these jokers down quickly before they used their numbers to overwhelm her and Ren.

"Hello Hong." Toph said, doing her best to project a cool confidence. "I see you managed to survive being buried alive."

"Yeah, we did." Hong said, dropping from his tree as he spoke. "And you won't get another chance to use that trick, I can promise you that."

"Bring it on, ash maker." Toph taunted, taking note of the location of the other raiders as she spoke.

"Don't taunt what you can't defeat." Hong said, before he unleashed a torrent of flame, which Toph easily deflected with her earth shields.

At that the other raiders attacked, two of them going after Ren while the other three, including Hong, came at Toph. Toph easily took down the one non-bender on her side of the field, but Hong and the other firebender, a woman, proved to be much more difficult. For the next several minutes they engaged a bending duel before a blast of flame caught Toph in the back, knocking her to the ground. She rolled to her left, activating her seismic sense as she did, realizing a second to late that the flames had come from Ren.

"What the hell are you doing?" Toph asked, her sightless gaze locking with Ren's.

"What I have to." Ren said, her tone cold.

Toph's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could react Ren hit her with another blast of flame, and then another, each blast rocking Toph's body with tremendous force. She felt herself weakening beneath the barrage, but she wasn't beaten yet. However, as she moved to attack, Ren hit her again, knocking her to the ground.

"Backstabber." she groaned. "Bloody traitor. I'll-" But her sentence died as one last blast of flame knocked her into the cold dark of unconsciousness.

"Bind her." Hong said, speaking to Ryo and Chi. "But use ropes. Ren tells me this one can bend metal."

Ryo and Chi moved to do Hong's bidding while he turned to Ren. "Thank you for your help." he said, with an evil grin.

"Pleased to be of assistance." Ren said, grinning as well. "Now, what say we deliver this bitch to Azula."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Hong said, laughing. With that Ren and the raiders set off, Hong dragging Toph's unconscious form behind them.

**A/N: And so Ren's true colors are revealed. Or are they? Has she really betrayed Toph or is this part of a bigger plan? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Anyway, sorry I took so long to get this up. I've been really busy lately. Also, yes Hong and his raiders survived being buried alive in Toph's cave, which seems a bit unlikely, but there you go. That's all for now, hope you enjoyed.**


	13. A Trick and A Trap

_ Toph was alone again. Fire and darkness surrounded her and for a moment she wondered how she was still alive. The flames licked her arms, scorching the flesh, and yet she could not seem to feel the pain. And then she heard it, a cold, merciless laugh that chilled her to the bone. The laughter was followed by a voice that was familiar, though in that moment Toph couldn't place it with a name. "Weak and pathetic." the voice said. "That's what you are Toph. Weak and pathetic."_

_ "N-no." Toph gasped, struggling against the flames. "I am not weak."_

_ "Then how did we capture you?" the voice asked, the amused tone sending chills down Toph's spine. "If you're so great, why was it so easy for us to take you down?"_

_ "You got lucky." Toph said, her tone defiant despite the fact that she had no way to win._

_ "No." the voice said. "It has nothing to do with luck. We captured you because we're better than you. Oh, and we had some help from your friend."_

_ Toph's insides went cold at that as she realized what she was being told. And then she felt the flames rise up around her, consuming her body in a pyre that burned her alive. "NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed and then everything went dark and the pain ceased._

* * *

Toph snapped awake, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. A dream, it had just been a dream. She was still alive and there were no flames here. And yet she could still not move. Panic gripped her and then she remembered what had happened. Ren had betrayed her. She was a prisoner of the very raiders she had thought she'd defeated back at her cave and it was all Ren's fault. Ren had stabbed her in the back and she had passed out from pain of multiple fireballs hitting her. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, but she sensed she was no longer in the location where she had been captured.

Activating her seismic sense Toph determined that she was in a clearing in what was left of a forest. Her hands and feet were bound, though her captors had not gagged her. Still, she was at a decided disadvantage, as she could not earthbend due to her limbs being bound. Even using her seismic sense was difficult in this predicament, though she could still use that to her advantage. And that wasn't her only weapon, as she also had her anger with Ren to fuel her, though she couldn't rely on that too much as blind anger could lead her into an even worse situation if she wasn't careful

"Well, look whose finally woken up." a gruff, mocking voice said, drawing Toph from her thoughts with a jolt.

She turned her head towards the sound of the voice and gave the speaker a smile. "Looks like you got lucky Hong." she said, trying not to think about the dream she'd had before waking up.

"Lucky?" Hong asked. "No, it wasn't luck that allowed me to capture you. It was fate."

"Fate huh?" Toph asked, her tone sarcastic. "Is that really what you believe?"

"It is." Hong answered. "What is it to you, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing." Toph answered. "It's just, I wonder if it was really fate that led you to this moment. I mean, you proved incapable of capturing me at my cave, so what makes you think your fortunes have changed now?"

"Why shouldn't he think that?" another voice asked, this one making Toph's blood boil. "I mean, he is a firebender after all. And everyone knows firebenders are superior."

"Hello Ren." Toph said, her tone stiff. "Nice of you to join us, you traitor."

"A traitor is she?" Hong asked. "Oh, that's rich. You actually thought Ren was your ally? You must be stupid. Ren is, and always has been, loyal to Fire Lord Azula."

Toph couldn't believe what Hong was telling her. It didn't make sense. Ren had told her that her parents had been allies of the Order of the White Lotus, that her father had been killed because of that, that she was now a vigilante fighting for justice against Azula's cruel regime. And yet Hong was telling her that Ren had been loyal to Azula this whole time. It didn't add up and yet somehow she knew it was true.

"So, it was all a lie, was it?" Toph asked, her blank gaze focusing on Ren. "Everything you told me was a lie?"

"It was." Ren answered, her tone cold and uncaring. "Everything I told you was a lie, stories fabricated to get you to trust me."

"But why?" Toph asked. "Why go through all this trouble just to capture me? I'm no one special, just an earthbender trying to make it the world."

"Don't try and worm out of this wench." Hong snapped. "We know exactly who you are, Toph Beifong, and we're not going to let you escape from us again."

"You know who I am?" Toph asked, wondering where they could have gotten that information.

"Oh yes." Jiro said, joining the conversation. "We know you fought with the Avatar against Fire Lord Ozai, we know you were born in the Earth Kingdom city of Gaoling, and we know that you consider yourself to be the greatest earthbender in the world." He grinned, showing his yellowing teeth, and spat on the ground at Toph's feet.

"That's impressive." Toph said, seemingly unfazed by Jiro's comments. "Though I wonder where you could have learned all that?" Again, her sightless gaze turned towards Ren, as though she was reading Ren's mind.

"If you're thinking I told them anything, think again." Ren said. "I told them nothing."

"Yeah, somehow I don't buy that load of bullshit." Toph said. "How else would they have learned all those things about me?"

"You underestimate the power and reach of Fire Lord Azula." Hong said.

"So you're trying to tell me that Azula told you all that stuff?" Toph asked. "Somehow I doubt that. If you were really that close with Azula you wouldn't be out here looking for earthbenders to capture, you'd be in the Fire Nation capital serving as one of Azula's personal assistants or something like that."

"Again, you fail to appreciate our reach." the female firebender said. "You don't know us, so for all you know we could be close with Azula and we simply asked for this assignment."

"What's your name?" Toph asked, her gaze still fixed on Ren's position.

"Lyra." the firebender answered. "What's it to you?"

"Well, Lyra, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I do know you." Toph said. "You're just like every other Fire Nation citizen who foolishly sided with Azula. You're an idiot and one day that's gonna come back to bite you in the ass."

"If we're so foolish, then why are you the one who's tied up?" Jiro asked. "And why isn't Zuko sitting on the throne or the Avatar coming to stop us? If we're fools, then it seems to me that our positions should be reversed, don't you think?"

Toph had no answer for that. It was true that these raiders had managed to capture her, but that was only because Ren had helped them. So Toph was still inclined to think of them as fools, but she couldn't deny that Jiro was right. Azula had won the war and that did make Zuko, Aang, and the others look like fools and failures. But the victory hadn't been solely due to Azula's skill as a firebender or a leader. In many cases she and her followers had gotten lucky and had it not been for a handful of key moments the outcome of the war would have been much different. However, Toph thought it was best not to bring this up, lest the raiders take offense and torch her on the spot.

"Well, I guess you're right on that one." she finally conceded, her gaze now fixed on the ground in front of her.

"Huh, that's surprising." Hong said. "The little earthbender actually knows when to shut up. I wasn't expecting that."

Toph said nothing. She sensed that it was in her best interests not to piss Hong off, given that she couldn't defend herself. Had she been able to earthbend she wouldn't have been quite so cautious, but there was little she could do to alter her circumstances at the moment. So her best option was to wait and hope that an opportunity to escape would prevent itself.

* * *

Later that evening that opportunity would arrive, though it was not quite what Toph had been hoping for. Hong had decided to stop for the day and let his troops rest, as the two non-benders, Ryo and Chi, had been complaining that they were tired. The break was fine with Toph, as it gave her the time to think without being dragged along the ground like a sack of potatoes.

The break also gave Ren a chance to break out her homemade fire wine, much to the delight of the raiders. "I propose a toast." Ren said. "To Hong, the greatest of Azula's raiders, congratulations on your capture of the rogue earthbender Toph Beifong." She raised her cup and smiled at Hong, who grinned back.

The others followed suit, though Jiro seemed to do so with some reluctance. Toph sat and listened to their conversation, hoping the wine would knock them all out so she could escape. Her seismic sense let her know that Ren wasn't drinking, but she wasn't too worried about that. As long as the others passed out. She could handle Ren on her own.

"Your words are appreciated Ren." Hong said. He grinned again and took a long swig of wine, the others following suit.

Within seconds Ryo and Chi were unconscious and Jiro and Lyra were swaying as though they were already plastered. Only Hong seemed to be unaffected, though even he was looking a little drunk. Seeing this Ren moved to give him more wine, which Hong took without question. Again, he drank deeply and this time the wine seemed to hit him. He glanced at Ren, his vision fuzzy and heard the thumps as Jiro and Lyra hit the ground.

"What...what's going..." His sentence trailed off as he keeled over, unconscious before he hit the ground.

With Hong and the other raiders unconscious Ren moved to Toph's side, her movement purposeful and determined. She reached out for Toph's shoulder, but Toph scooted away with a look of disgust on her face.

"Stay away from me, traitor." she snapped, her tone harsh.

"Toph." Ren began. "Toph, listen to me."

"Why?" Toph asked. "Why should I listen to you? You betrayed me. I have no desire to hear anything you have to say."

"Please Toph, just listen to me." Ren said, a note of pleading in her voice. "I didn't do this to hurt you, I swear."

"Oh really?" Toph asked, her tone incredulous. "Then why did you do it? You mind explaining that one to me?"

"Alright, I'll tell you why I did it." Ren said, sensing that this was the only way to get Toph to cooperate. "I have known about these raiders since before I met you. I knew they were following us and I couldn't let them get their hands on you. So I came up with a plan to get them before they could get you. This is part of that plan."

"I'm not sure I understand." Toph said, her tone more curious than angry.

"We are approximately a day away from a raider base." Ren explained. "Hong and his people were going to capture you and take you to that base so you could be tried and executed as a rogue bender. The other night I got you drunk and then met with Hong and told him I would hand you over to him. He went along and now all we need to do is get the drop on him. It's a trick, you see. I led him into a trap and he doesn't even realize it."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you couldn't fill me in on the plan before hand." Toph said, her tone angry again.

"I had to keep you in the dark." Ren said. "If you had known about the plan beforehand you wouldn't have been able to act surprised when I 'turned' on you and Hong would have figured out that we were up to something."

"That's where you're wrong." Toph said. "I could have still acted surprised even if I'd known the plan. Besides, how do I know this isn't just another trick? How do I know you didn't just knock Hong out so you could turn me in yourself?"

"Come on Toph, does that really seem like something I'd do?" Ren asked.

"I don't know." Toph answered. "You tell me."

"Look, I know I hurt you by doing this, but I swear this is all to stop Hong." Ren said. "Everything I told you about my past, it was all true. I told you it wasn't so Hong wouldn't get suspicious, but it's all true. I want to stop Azula and this will help us do that. Please, just trust me. There are no ulterior motivations at work here, I promise."

Toph considered Ren's words for a moment, before deciding she would trust Ren for now. "Okay Ren." she said. "I'll go along with this for now, but if you screw me over again, I'll fucking kill you. Got it?"

"I do." Ren said, moving to undo Toph's bonds. "But don't worry. I won't betray you."

"What are you doing?" Toph asked, as Ren slid the ropes off her wrists.

"I'm undoing your bonds so you can earthbend again." Ren said. "I'll retie them, but loosely so you can slip out of them easily."

Toph nodded. "Okay, so when do we put this plan into action?"

"In the morning." Ren answered. "We need Hong and the others to be awake so we can see the looks on their faces when they realize that they've been played."

Toph nodded again and she and Ren lay down to sleep, both of them envisioning their surprise for the raiders and how nice it would feel to finally be rid of these idiots.

* * *

The next morning Toph awoke to find Ren rousing the raiders, who still seemed to be feeling the effects of the wine. Ren glanced at her and smiled and Toph nodded, understanding that they were only minutes away from springing their trap.

"Ugh, what the hell was in that wine?" Hong asked, glancing at Ren.

"It was just wine." Ren answered. "Why does everyone ask me what's wrong with it?"

"Never mind, it's not important." Hong said, shaking his head. "How's our little earthbender doing this morning?" He glanced at Toph as though he expected her to answer.

"I'm fine." Toph answered, her tone calm and her expression passive.

"Well you won't be for long." Hong said, grabbing her and hauling her to her feet as he spoke. "Today we'll reach our destination and then you'll be executed for opposing Azula's reign."

"Actually, I don't think she will." Ren said, with an amused glance at Hong.

"What are you talking about?" Hong asked, confused. "She's our prisoner and she can't earthbend on account of her bonds."

"Well, actually, I can." Toph said, sliding her hands out of her bonds as she spoke.

Shocked, Hong let her go and stepped back. The others stepped forward to help their leader, but Ren blasted each of them before they could get any closer. Hong stared at her in disbelief and then moved to attack, only to have Toph stun him with an earth block to the head.

"Sorry Hong." Ren said. "But I lied. I'm not loyal to Azula and I have no intention of letting you take Toph in. It's nothing personal, I just don't like tyrants who kill innocent people."

"You'll pay for this." Hong snarled. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll see you both burn."

"No, I don't think you will." Toph said, before opening a massive pit beneath the raiders. Screaming, they fell into the pit and Toph stepped up to the edge. "Now, why don't you sit down there and think about your mistakes for awhile, how's that sound." She glanced back at Ren, who seemed to like this part of the plan.

"Sounds like a great plan to me." Ren said, grinning as she stepped up to the edge.

Without looking at her Toph reached out and placed a hand on Ren's shoulder, as if to congratulate her. For a moment Toph contemplated tossing Ren into the pit before deciding against it. With a smile she closed the pit and then turned away, satisfied with her victory.

"So, what now?" Ren asked, moving to follow Toph.

"Now we go our separate ways." Toph said. "I'm going to Ba Sing Se, but I'm doing it alone. Don't follow me, our friendship is done."

With that she turned and walked away, leaving Ren to stare at her in shock and bewilderment as she contemplated the end of their friendship.

**A/N: And so ends Toph and Ren's relationship. Maybe. Anyway, as you can tell, Ren's betrayal was trick to get Hong and obviously it worked. However, Toph is still upset that Ren lied to her about the plan, so that's why they've split up. It may be permanent, it may not, you'll just have to wait and see. Until then, hope you enjoyed.**


	14. To See With Sightless Eyes

Toph sat on a large, round rock in the shade of one of the few trees that had escaped the scorching of the world, giving her feet a rest after hours of walking. While she sat, she took the time to eat and take stock of her supplies. To her dismay, she found that she was running low on both food and water. She knew exactly why she was low on supplies, but she didn't want to think about that. Unfortunately, the thoughts found their way into her mind anyway and she was forced to face the fact that it had been her relationship with Ren that had depleted her supplies.

It had been three days since Toph had left Ren behind and she hadn't given the firebender all that much thought. It hadn't really been that difficult for her to walk away. Ren had betrayed her and she had never considered that ending their relationship would affect her like this. But now that she thought about it, she realized she may have acted rashly. Sure Ren had been a pain in the ass and a traitor, but Toph had enjoyed the company. But she was unwilling to go back. Ren had stabbed her in the back, and even if that betrayal had really only been a diversion to capture Hong and his raiders, how was Toph supposed to trust Ren now? The answer was simple and Toph knew it. She couldn't trust Ren, no matter what Ren said, and she would not allow herself to be suckered into another trap.

And yet, the more Toph thought about it, the more she found herself missing Ren. It was illogical, she knew, to miss someone she barely knew. It had been less than a month since she'd met Ren, so why did she miss the firebender girl so much? It didn't make sense and yet the feeling was there, gnawing away at the back of Toph's mind.

"Damn it Toph." she muttered. "She was a traitor. She stabbed you in the back. Stop worrying about her and just move on."

_"But what if you can't?"_ a voice in her mind asked. _"You know she didn't betray you. And you know you want her back, so why are you fighting this?"_

Toph shook her head, hoping to somehow dislodge the thoughts in her mind. She would not play this game with herself. She refused to do it. She had left Ren behind and that was that. There was no argument her mind could come up with that would convince her she'd made the wrong decision. Ren had betrayed her and nothing would change that. There was no sense in trying to repair the breach and Toph was determined to move on, no matter how hard it was.

With that in mind she got to her feet, pulled her hat on, and set off again, hoping to leave her thoughts about Ren behind her. She was still several days from Ba Sing Se, but every moment brought her closer to her goal and she would not be distracted now. And yet some part of her knew that even if she reached Ba Sing Se and found her friends it would still be a hollow victory without Ren. But she pushed the thought aside and pressed on, determined not to dwell in the past.

* * *

That evening Toph stopped again, exhaustion catching up with her. Her wandering had not provided the relief from her thoughts she had hoped for and the chaos in her mind was sapping her of her energy quicker than she would have ever thought possible. It seemed there was no escaping these thoughts and Toph felt her resolve falter. How was she supposed to focus on the future when she was stuck in the past? Why couldn't she get over this? Was it guilt that made her feel this way? Or was there something else at work here, something that was beyond her current capacity to understand?

Toph shook her head again, once again trying to dislodge the thoughts from her mind. But just as they had before, the thoughts refused to leave. It was then that another, far more terrifying thought occurred to her. Perhaps there was no guilt, perhaps she was just going insane. She supposed it was possible. She had been largely alone for the past six years, after all, and that kind of isolation could certainly drive a person to madness. But insanity didn't seem like a satisfactory explanation for Toph's current condition. She'd had some companionship in the past six years, certainly enough to keep her from losing her mind. But if she wasn't going insane then what was wrong with her? Why couldn't she let go of her conflicting thoughts about leaving Ren behind? Ultimately Toph decided she would try and figure it out in the morning. Sleep was calling her and she found she could not fight against it any longer than she already had.

Sometime later that night Toph snapped awake, her seismic sense alerting her to the presence of another person. "Who's there?" she called, preparing herself for battle just in case.

"Relax Toph, it's just me." Ren's voice answered, her tone somewhere between amusement and relief.

"What are you doing here?" Toph demanded, instantly angry.

"I followed you, obviously." Ren answered, as if this was no big deal.

"I told you not to follow me." Toph said, trying to control her anger as she spoke. "Our relationship is over. I want nothing to do with you anymore."

"Yeah, and I'm choosing to ignore all that." Ren answered. "Because I don't think you're serious about that."

"Oh really?" Toph asked. "Well, allow me to show you just how serious I am then." With that she launched an earth block at Ren, who easily destroyed it with a blast of flame.

"Come on Toph, are we really gonna do this?" Ren asked.

"Yes." Toph answered. "We are. Because it's the only way you'll learn what happens to people who stab me in the back."

"I've already told you, I didn't betray you." Ren shouted, rolling to her left as she spoke to avoid another of Toph's earth blocks.

"And yet, I still don't believe you." Toph said, before launching a third earth block at Ren.

"Why, though?" Ren asked. "Why don't you believe me? I proved to you that I didn't betray you, so why don't you believe me?"

"You proved to me?" Toph asked, perplexed. "Are you serious? You think that little stunt of yours counts as proof? You really are stupid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren asked, her tone indignant.

"It means you're just like every other ash maker." Toph answered. "You are incapable of recognizing the mistakes in your actions. You say you didn't betray me, but what you fail to understand is that your choice to leave me out of the loop constitutes a betrayal. That's the point I'm trying to get you to see."

"Really?" Ren asked. "That's why you're pissed? I already told you why I couldn't fill you in on my plan sooner."

"And I found your explanation to be insufficient." Toph said, her tone indifferent.

"How was it insufficient?" Ren asked. "I couldn't let you know the plan because if you'd known beforehand it would have made it easier for Hong to figure out that we were tricking him. And I think you know that, you just don't want to admit it."

"Maybe you're right." Toph said. "But it doesn't change anything. Our relationship is still over. I won't let you travel with me anymore."

"You say that like you have a choice." Ren said. "But you don't. You can tell me to go away, but I'll just keep following you, unless you're willing to kill me or trap me like you did with Hong and his lackeys."

"What makes you think I'm not willing to do either of those things?" Toph asked.

"Because I know you Toph, better than you think I do, and you're not the kind of person who takes overt joy from hurting others." Ren answered.

"That's a nice speech Ren." Toph conceded. "But we're still done."

"God, you're stubborn." Ren said, clearly irritated by Toph's unwillingness to listen. "Why can't you just accept that I'm sorry?"

"Because I have experience with this kind of thing." Toph answered. "I know what it's like to be betrayed and I won't go through it again. You say I can trust you, but how can that be the case when you weren't able to trust me enough to fill me in on the entire plan?"

"I already told you-" Ren began, before Toph cut her off.

"I know, you couldn't tell me because you thought I'd give the plan away." Toph said. "But that's bullshit Ren. You could have told me and you know it. I am very good at keeping my emotions in check and I would have played my role perfectly. So your decision not to fill me in was based on the fact that you don't trust me. And if that's the case, then I can't trust you either."

Ren was silent for a moment following Toph's speech, as though she was trying to process Toph's words. And then she found her voice again, her words tumbling from her lips like rocks rolling down a cliff. "You're right." she said. "I didn't trust you, not completely, and I'm sorry for that. I should have realized that you would be able to keep the plan from Hong. It's just...I have spent so much of my life doing things on my own that it's hard for me to get close to people. I don't know who to trust and yet, for some reason, you seemed like someone I could trust. And I ruined that. I'm sorry Toph, truly I am. If you want me to leave, I will, but just know that I truly care about you and I want you to succeed in your mission."

Toph didn't know what to say. How could she possibly respond to that? Ren had admitted that she didn't trust Toph completely and Toph felt as though that justified her unwillingness to trust Ren completely. And yet she knew she couldn't hold on to these feelings forever. She knew that Ren was genuinely sorry and that Ren genuinely cared about her. Yes Ren had lied, but she had realized her mistake and if she could, then surely Toph could as well. But there was more to Ren's apology than that and Toph wasn't quite sure what it was that she was feeling.

It was then that she was reminded of another quote from her past, something that Aang had told her years earlier, _to see with sightless eyes, rely on the eyes of the heart._ She hadn't understood what the quote meant back then, but now, in this moment, she thought she had finally figured it out. To see what could not otherwise be seen, one had to use the eyes of the heart. And as this realization hit her Toph realized what Ren's hidden message was.

"I...I'm sorry Ren." she said then, tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke. "I'm sorry for not trusting you. I see now that it was a mistake and I promise it will never happen again. I will never again take your friendship for granted."

"Thank you Toph." Ren said, meeting Toph's sightless gaze. "But if I may ask, what led you to this epiphany?"

"Something Avatar Aang told me years ago." Toph answered. "To see with sightless eyes, rely on the eyes of the heart."

"What's it mean though?" Ren asked, both curious and confused.

"It means that to see things that otherwise can't be seen, we must rely on our inner sight." Toph answered. "We must rely on our spirits to guide us in the right direction, because sometimes only our souls know where we really need to go."

"So, does that mean I can come with you?" Ren asked, her tone nervous.

"Yes." Toph answered. "You can come with me. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, let's go to Ba Sing Se."

Ren nodded and they set off, Toph's mind still dwelling on the quote and what it meant. She was certain she didn't have all the answers yet, but she at least had a faint glimmer of the truth. It wasn't about trust, it was about faith and letting that faith guide them where they needed to go. And as she thought about it she thought she finally knew where her soul was leading her.

**A/N: And that's chapter 14. Sorry for the massive delay. I have been distracted by other ideas as of late, not to mention some serious writer's block when it came to this chapter. Anyway, Toph and Ren have worked out their issues and Toph is beginning to realize that there is more to their relationship than just simple friendship. This chapter was meant to illustrate how far Toph has come in terms of her spirituality (if you'll remember, she is the least spiritual of all the benders in the show). The quote has a double meaning for her, of course, as she is physically blind, but in both cases it is her attempt to see what she cannot otherwise see, with the hope that the hidden messages may help her achieve her ultimate goal, something you'll have to keep reading to find out. **


	15. Sparks of Romance

Several hours after reuniting with Ren, Toph stopped for a rest, exhaustion washing over her once again. Her mind was still buzzing with questions about where her relationship with Ren now stood and she needed a few moments to finally let her thoughts settle. Truthfully she was already fairly certain she knew where the relationship stood, but there were still questions that needed answering. Specifically there was the question of how to broach the subject to Ren. Toph was fairly certain Ren had already dropped hints, but she was unsure how she should take those hints. Did they mean what she thought they meant? Was Ren really interested in her in that way? And if she wasn't, what would happen if Toph brought the subject up? Would the result be the complete destruction of their relationship? Or would something else happen all together? Toph had no answers and until she asked Ren she was certain she never would.

For her part Ren had begun to notice Toph's distraction and she was beginning to get worried about her friend. "Is everything okay Toph?" she asked, with a quick glance in Toph's direction.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Toph replied, though her tone was less than convincing.

"Are you sure?" Ren asked, her tone concerned. "You seem a little distracted and I just want to make sure you're not having second thoughts."

"I told you, I'm fine." Toph said, trying not to sound irritated. "Just let me rest for a few minutes and we'll be on our way."

"Okay." Ren said. "But if you need to talk, I'm here. And if something is bothering you then you should really let me know."

"I'M FINE, DAMN IT!" Toph snapped, her irritation finally boiling over. "Now leave me alone, before I'm forced to do something I'll regret."

Ren stared at her, shocked by Toph's outburst, pain and fear crossing her face. "I was only trying to help." she said. "Sorry if I upset you." With that, she turned and walked away, though she wasn't quite fast enough to prevent Toph from hearing her sob.

"Ren wait I..." Toph began, before trailing off as she realized her mistake. "Damn it." She turned then and walked to a large rock that sat maybe twenty feet from their campsite.

Sighing, Toph climbed to the top of the rock and sat, her mind buzzing with a whole new set of questions. She hadn't meant to startle Ren like that, but Ren had been annoying her and she didn't like that, especially when she was trying to think. Still, she supposed she could have handled the situation better than she had. It was just that the feelings stirring within her were relatively new and she needed time to sort them out, and Ren asking her if she was okay wasn't helping with that. But she knew she could have been a bit nicer and it would be awhile before she would forgive herself for that outburst. Now was not the time to go creating problems between her and Ren, especially since they had just gotten back together. But until the question of their relationship was answered Toph sensed things were going to be a bit strained. She wondered why that was, but supposed it had something to do with the fact that she'd never really been in a romantic relationship before.

_That's not entirely true though, is it Toph_, her inner voice asked. It was a strange question, but the more Toph thought about it, the more she realized it was a valid one. This wasn't the first time she had felt a romantic attraction to someone, nor was it the first time she had contemplated a relationship. She'd had feelings for Sokka at one point, though she'd never told him and she had given up on that idea when it had become clear that Sokka was in love with Suki. There had also been times when she'd felt some sort of attraction to both Aang and Zuko, though she'd never seriously considered pursuing either of them. And then there had been Lu, who had kissed her just days before he was killed by Azula's raiders. But Toph had been disgusted by that interaction and had never felt any sort of attraction towards Lu, despite what Ming had told her about that night. Still, it was obvious that these current feelings weren't foreign to her, though the idea of romantic love still was.

She wished then that she had someone else to talk to about this before she confronted Ren. Katara would have been her first choice, though she would have taken Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, even Penga, just to have someone to talk to. But Katara would have been her first choice as she, of all of them, had the most stable romantic relationship and Toph was certain Katara could give her the answers she was seeking. But a meeting with Katara was an impossibility now and even if it could happen Toph wasn't certain how much help it would actually be. She knew Katara could help her, but there was one aspect of her current situation that she was certain she would have to figure out on her own.

That aspect, which was the most frustrating part of this whole thing, was the fact that all of Toph's previous romantic feelings and interactions had been with guys. She was certain that this particular aspect was beyond even Katara's ability to help, as her current feelings were for another girl. Katara had only been in relationships with guys, a fact that held true for Mai, Suki, Ty Lee, and every other woman Toph could think of. So she was left to try and figure that aspect out on her own, with the knowledge that even if her friends had been there she couldn't turn to them for help. Toph normally wasn't one to go looking for help, but in this particular case she found herself wishing for aid more than she ever had in her life. But she knew the aid would not come, no matter how hard she wished for it and she realized this was one problem she would have to tackle alone, whether she wanted to or not.

As that realization hit her she leaped from the rock, her mind now clear. She knew what she wanted and she knew she had to get it now before it was too late. If she waited any longer she risked losing Ren for good and that was something she could not do, for she had never felt an attraction to another person like the one she was feeling now. Now, all she had to do was find Ren.

"Ren?" she called, as she made her way back to their campsite. "Ren, you still here?"

Only silence greeted her and for a moment Toph felt her heart constrict. What if her harsh words had sent Ren running off and something had happened to her? She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away. She would not allow herself to even contemplate the possibility that something had happened to Ren.

"Ren, come on." she called. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. It won't happen again. Just come out so we can talk."

The sound of movement on the opposite side of the campsite drew her attention and Toph activated her seismic sense to gain a better picture of source of the sound. To her relief it turned out to be Ren, who was standing by a tree, her arms wrapped around her, as though she had been trying to comfort herself.

"Ren." Toph said. "Thank the gods you're okay. I thought you'd wandered off and gotten hurt or captured."

"Oh really?" Ren asked. "And would you have really cared if I had?" There was a bitterness to her voice that made Toph flinch, though it did not sound like Ren was mad enough to attack.

"Yes, I would have cared." Toph answered. "More than you know."

"Why did you yell at me then?" Ren asked, her tone losing some of its bitterness.

"I didn't mean to." Toph said. "I was trying to think and you...look, it doesn't matter okay? I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."

"What were you thinking about?" Ren asked, her tone now curious.

"Our relationship." Toph answered. "And how it's changed."

"How it's changed?" Ren repeated, turning the statement into a question. "I don't understand Toph. What are you trying to say?"

"Remember the quote I mentioned to you earlier?" Toph asked. "To see with sightless eyes, rely on the eyes of the heart? Do you remember that?"

"Yes." Ren answered, even more confused than she had been.

"Well, I did that." Toph said. "I used my inner sight to examine the truth of our relationship and you know what I discovered?"

"What?" Ren asked. "What did you discover?"

"That our relationship is no accident." Toph answered. "We met each other for a reason. I'm not sure what that reason is yet, but I know there is one. And our relationship goes deeper than just friendship. We are meant to be together. I don't know how or why, but we are and I want to find out exactly what that means."

"So, what are you saying exactly?" Ren asked. "Are you telling me you love me?"

"Yes." Toph answered, her heart racing. And then, without really knowing what she was doing she leaned in and kissed Ren on the lips. The feeling of completeness was overwhelming and Toph felt Ren surrender to it for just a second before she pulled away.

"What is it?" Toph asked, still dazed from the kiss. "What's wrong?"

"It...it's nothing." Ren said. "I'm just trying to process what just happened, is all."

"And, what is your heart telling you?" Toph asked.

"That you're right." Ren answered. "We are meant to be together. That this isn't all just some kind of strange dream. That I love you too." She smiled then and though Toph could not see it she had the feeling that she was looking at the most beautiful smile in the world.

Before she could comment however Ren had pulled her into a tight embrace, their lips pressing together again, this time with a passion so furious that Toph barely had time to draw breath before she and Ren were engulfed in the fires of love. Toph's hands moved to Ren's back, her fingers digging into the fabric of Ren's shirt, while Ren moaned with pleasure. Toph's mind was overcome with a brilliant euphoria and all other things ceased to be. Ren's lips were soft against hers and Toph felt an intense desire to make this moment last forever. She knew it wouldn't, but she would do everything in her power to make it last as long as possible.

Toph and Ren would remain wrapped in each others embrace for more than an hour before Ren finally pulled away. For a moment they both sat, gasping for air and then Toph asked, "Why'd you stop?" Her sightless gaze was fixed on Ren's face, as though she was trying to force her physical eyes to see the woman she had just made love with.

"I just...I just needed a break." Ren said, her voice an exhausted gasp. "And I think we should take things a little more slowly."

"Okay. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." Toph said, though she sounded like she wanted more.

"There's no need to sound disappointed Toph." Ren said. "We can go again, if you'd like."

Toph smiled and before she could speak Ren was on her like a wild animal. Toph smiled again, her fingers reaching to trace the jagged scars on Ren's back, glad they were still surrounded by the sweet flames of passion and love.

**A/N: And that's chapter 15. Sorry it took so long (writer's block and all that) and sorry it's so short (took less words than I thought it would to describe what I wanted to). Anyway, yes, I have made Toph a lesbian (and obviously Ren as well). This is what I meant when I said there would be some interesting moments between them in the summary of this story. If you don't like that I made this decision, feel free to stop reading. Otherwise, please don't make a big deal about it. This was a decision I felt was necessary for the story and I will not change it. Sorry if that upsets some people, but that's life. Deal with it. That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I encourage you to keep reading, as things are going to get really fun as we move towards the end of this story. **


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